For You and I
by Tori101
Summary: Beaten and broken, Kira struggles with living with an abusive guardian, protecting his sister, and now trying to help the girl who's life is falling apart around her. But there's only so much one boy can take, before he snaps in two...KL
1. Cause

**For You**

Kira is the older brother, it's his duty to protect his little sister; he even has scars to prove it. But Cagalli can't help but cry for him every night. But though he's hurt, he still smiles for her. She can't help but feel weak around him, and when he starts hurting himself, how can she bear the painful love?

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own Gundam Seed.

**Chapter 1 Cause**

Watching the rain slowly slide down the car window, Cagalli smiled weakly and leaned against her older brother Kira. He looked down at her and smiled before rubbing her head and messing up her already messy short, blonde hair. She yawned and he yawned afterward before leaning back in his seat with his little sister's head leaning against his shoulder.

Watching the little girl close her eyes slowly with a serene smile on her face, Kira looked to the front seat where their parents sat. His father was driving and his mother was listening to the classical music on the radio. He saw her green eyes look up into the review mirror and stare back at him with bliss shining. "Are you tired Kira?"

Being the little boy he was, he had to say no. "No mother, I'm not even sleepy," he mumbled as a yawn escaped his lips. His mother smiled.

"Kira, try and get some sleep, it's still a long drive home."

The brown haired boy grinned. "But, I'm not sleepy…" he said with another yawn. The woman brushed her violet hair behind her ear and turned in her seat so he could see her.

"I love you Kira,"

Kira smiled back at his mother. "Love you too," but he was cut off when he heard his father shout.

"Caridad!" And bright light filtered through the windows.

The car swerved and Cagalli was jerked awake as Kira clutched her close. Their mother screamed and lifted her arms to shield her face from the flying glass as the front window shattered. Kira on brotherly instinct, spun around to cover his little sister. He cried out in pain when small shards of glass became embedded in his back. Cagalli screamed from lack of knowing what was going on when the car felt as though being flipped over. It wasn't just a feeling.

Horns, screeching tires, screams, and rain were the only noises he could hear when he opened his eyes. Looking down, Kira saw his little sister looking at him in fright. He felt a warm trickle of blood drip down his forehead and he smiled. "It's okay Cagalli, I'm fine." The little girl just frowned and copied Kira as he unbuckled himself. It didn't take them long to realize something was amiss. Their parents weren't asking if they were all right. "Father?" Kira asked loudly as he crawled to the front of the car. He gave a stifled gasp upon seeing his father hunched over the steering wheel. The boy could see glass punctured into his father's back and he knew he didn't want to see his face. Instead he turned to see his mother lying against her seat. Scratch marks from flying glass were on her face, and her eyes were closed, but he knew she was still alive.

Kira turned around to see his sister trembling. "Kira, what's going on?"

Kira smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry Cagalli; it was just a car accident. Now let me help you out of the car, okay?" The blonde nodded and grabbed Kira's outstretched hand when he offered it, and allowed him to pull her out of the broken backseat window. The doors had been jammed and he had no other choice.

When he got his sister out, he helped her stand up, but she nearly fell so Kira steadied her. When they looked up, they saw a small crowd of people watching them and men and women in white uniforms help others out of their cars. A woman in a white uniform hurried over to them and smiled.

"Don't you two worry, everything's going to be all right," Kira frowned seriously; he had to help his mother now. The woman stretched out her hands, "How about I take you two to the ambulance? We can make sure neither of you got hurt, how's that sound?" she asked, eyeing the little boy worriedly. His shirt was soaked with blood. Kira pushed Cagalli forward.

"I have to help my mother, watch Cagalli okay?" The woman gave him a blank look, but widened her eyes when the little boy ran to the passenger side of the car and yanked on the handle.

The door finally opened and Kira sighed in relief. His mother's body seemed unharmed enough to get out of this with only a few scratches. He reached for the seatbelt buckle when he felt something warm clasp his hands. He widened his eyes when he saw delicate fingers with blood caked over them clutch his hand tightly. He looked up into the smiling face of his mother. "M-Mother?" he asked. Caridad had tears running down her cheeks.

"Ki-ra…" she mumbled. Kira looked up into his mother's eyes, trying to find the source of her sadness.

"Mother?" he asked worriedly, shaking her hands. Caridad coughed and blood spilled from her lips.

The little lavender eyed boy looked up at her in terror. "Mother, what's wrong?" The woman closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again and allowing more tears to fall.

"Kira," she breathed. "Take care of your sister…and always remember…I love you…" her voice grew weaker with each spoken word and Kira had to listen hard.

"Mother, help is coming, please wait!" he cried as he looked over his shoulder to see two men and a woman in white uniforms walking towards him. Caridad coughed again and closed her eyes.

"Kira, protect your sister. And always remember…I love…y-you…" her last words were so soft, Kira could barely hear them.

"MOTHER!" The young boy shouted as his eyes grew wide. He gained a lost look in his eyes as he felt someone pull his hand away from his mothers' and shake his shoulders. He could see nothing but a small lavender seed floating in his mind, and it shattered. His lost look became one of anger and ill understanding. Thrashing his arms to get away from the woman holding his shoulders, he screamed for his mother. "MOTHER! MOTHER! MOTHER, COME BACK!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

The woman holding Cagalli on her hip watched sadly as the small, chestnut haired boy was carried towards the ambulance. It took three paramedics to hold him down on a stretcher as another injected a sedative into his arm. Cagalli watched; her golden eyes wide in terror. "Kira!" she shouted and gripped the woman's shoulders with her young hands.

The boy stopped thrashing minutes after the injection as the sedative began to take its toll on him. His eyelids became heavy, and everything in his mind was fuzzy. Except he could hear his mother's voice, calling to him. Telling him her final words, in such a calm manor. It caused him to pant out of breath. _"Kira, protect your sister. And always remember…I love…y-you…"_ her voice repeated in his mind till he closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

Flashing open his eyes, Kira sat up and ran a hand over his sweaty forehead. He always had this dream, every night. It had happened eight years ago, he had been eight at the time, and Cagalli was six. Now he was sixteen and still had that dream.

He looked down at the thin sheet covering him, and noticed a light green comforter also laid over him. He smiled as he looked and saw a blonde girl lying next to him. Her short, scraggly blonde hair was pulled into two low ponytails and her hands were clutching his free hand. "Cagalli," he whispered in a soft voice as to not wake her. He slowly pried her fingers from his hand and stood up. He cringed when he felt the cuts on his back sting and he stumbled as he leaned down to cover up his sister with the two blankets.

Turning, he winced and his hand held his stomach where Muruta had kicked him last night. How he hated that man. But Kira made his way to his dresser and grabbed his school uniform consisting of dark red pants, a black collared shirt, and a dark red blazer with a black tie. He slipped the shirt on over his bare and bruised chest and pulled off his boxers before putting on a clean pair and then pulling up his pants. He turned around to cast his little sister a smiling glance before leaving the room and heading towards the kitchen.

Opening her golden eyes as rays of the early morning sun shone through her window, Cagalli sat up and reached over for Kira, but knew he wasn't there. She sighed sadly when she remembered last night.

* * *

_She squeezed her eyes shut and cowered in the corner of her room, her hands gripping her arms which were wrapped around her knees. Kira screamed in pain again and was followed by a thump as he fell to the ground. Cagalli felt the tears sting her eyes and she wanted so much to run out of her room and help her brother. But she was always held back by the little voice in the back of her head. Kira's orders: "Never come after me, even if you hear me scream." She shook her head and clutched her arms tighter._

_Muruta began calling Kira worthless and a coward. The blonde girl felt anger bubble up inside her, "You bastard, you don't know how hard Kira works to please you. He works hard to keep you from me," she pressed her fore head against her knees and let the tears out. She was so pathetic and weak. Kira was always the one who got hurt. Before long, she heard a muffled cry of pain and heard Muruta walk towards his bedroom and slam the door._

_She quickly stood and opened her door. Slipping out of her room quietly, she tiptoed down the hallway to the main room where Muruta had beaten her brother. She stood against the wall as the boy stood shakily and tried to walk to his room. He fell twice, but finally made his way to his room and fell onto his bed. Cagalli hurried back to her room and pulled the heavy light green comforter off her bed and back to Kira's room. _

"_Kira?" She asked like she'd done every night since they'd come to live with Muruta. Cagalli winced when she saw Kira's bare back. He had new cuts and bruises along with scars and old bruises. He tried to sit up but he didn't have the strength. Cagalli walked towards him and sat on the edge of his bed, covering him to his waist with her comforter. "I'll go get a wet cloth, try not to move." she told him quietly and rose to walk to the kitchen._

_Coming back into his room, Cagalli sighed to see Kira sitting up and trying to bandage his chest. "Kira, I told you, 'No moving'," He looked up at her and smiled weakly. _

_"Don't worry about me Cags, just go to bed." _

_The blonde shook her head and went over to her brother. "Lie down, face down." she ordered. The boy complied and lay down to allow her to clean his cuts with the cloth. "Kira, why do you let him hurt you?" she asked finally, like she did every night. Kira was staring blankly at the wall. _

_"To keep him away from you. I promised to protect you, so I will. No matter how much pain I have to go through." Cagalli sighed and finished bandaging her brother. _

_"Kira, I love you..." She whispered, laying her head on his back as her hands rested on his shoulder. _

_He shifted under her so he could look at her. "I know Cagalli, I know."_

Cagalli rubbed her eyes and stood before walking out into the hallway and towards the kitchen. When she entered the large kitchen, she wasn't surprised at all to see Kira dressed and fully awake already, and making breakfast. "Morning Cagalli," he smiled at her serenely as she sat down at the table.

"Morning Kira," she replied back with a fake smile on her face. _'How can he smile? After everything he's been through?'_ she thought sadly as he placed a plate of pancakes in front of her.

"Eat quickly. You don't want to be late for school." he ordered. Cagalli nodded. If she took too long eating, Muruta would see her first thing in the morning, which was the main reason she got up so early. Cagalli knew Muruta might think of something; she shuddered whenever she so much as worried about it.

The girl finished her breakfast in moments and hurried off back to her room to change into her school uniform. Opening her bedroom door, she slipped in and closed it before making her way across the carpet towards her dresser. Opening her dresser drawers, she grabbed all she needed and began undressing from her night clothes.

Slipping off the light green t-shirt, she grabbed her bra and put it on quickly. Then she hurriedly slipped off her green shorts and pulled on her least-loved item of clothing she had to wear to school, the dreaded, dark red skirt. Sure it came down to her knees, but still: it was a _skirt_. Cagalli grumbled as she slipped it on. But the girl felt the odd feeling of someone watching her.

Turning around, she gasped in embarrassment and uncertain terror at the unwelcome peeper. Muruta stood in her doorway, staring at her with a glint in his eyes. Cagalli turned away and covered her chest with her arms and asked quietly, "Azrael, do you need something?" Her voice quivered and her eyes widened when she heard the man begin to walk into her room.

"Actually, yes. I need for you to-" Cagalli let out a silent sigh when she heard Kira's voice.

"Azrael, your breakfast is ready." The boy informed the man with a masked tone.

Turning around, the pale-blonde haired man set his ice blue glare towards Kira. "Of course." he spat as he walked by Kira. The man's arm hit Kira in the chest on a new bruise, causing the boy to cringe. A smirk made its way onto the man's face and he left the hallway, out of the siblings' sight.

Kira turned to Cagalli and had an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't think he'd be coming this way to breakfast-"

Cagalli smiled reassuringly. "It's okay Kira, I can take care of myself." she told him. Her brother smiled, but then blushed and turned around so he wasn't facing her.

"Finish getting dressed, all right? I'll wait outside your door." Cagalli nodded and heard the door shut as she turned back around again and pulled on a black collared shirt under a dark red, long sleeved blazer fitted for a woman.

Cagalli quickly tied her tie before pulling on white socks and rushing towards her door. She then opened the door to find Kira standing against the wall holding their school bags and lunch boxes. The girl took her things gratefully and followed her brother to the front door. They slipped on their school shoes and Kira opened the door for his sister before they stepped out into the sunlight. At least school isn't as bad as their home life…or is it worse?

**Sorry if you don't like the first chapter, but I got the idea for this story by listening to music…yes, that is where I get my _oh-so-wonderful_ ideas. But anyhoo, I hope some of you liked it so far, I'll update as soon as I can, but I've really bitten off more than I can chew…this is my third or fourth newest story…but anyway, guidelines for reviews are as follows:**

Criticism and comments greatly accepted and appreciated!

Long reviews on positive or negative aspects are greatly welcomed!

I do not care if you totally hate my story, but if you want to rant in a review, go right ahead!

Flames are welcomed with open arms, and here's what I do with them:

I'll feed them mashed potatoes and burp them. Then I'll give them a bubble bath and let them play with a cute rubber duckie. And finally, I'll put them to sleep in a nice, comfy cradle and read them a bed time story…

And plain old, "Love your story, UPDATE!" Reviews are also welcomed.

**Have a nice day!**

Sam

**P.s.** If you all think I've got problems, bring it up in a review, I love knowing what other people think!

* * *


	2. School’s Just Another Hell

**For You**

Kira is the older brother, it's his duty to protect his little sister; he even has scars to prove it. But Cagalli can't help but cry for him every night. But though he's hurt, he still smiles for her. She can't help but feel weak around him, and when he starts hurting himself, how can she bear the painful love?

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own Gundam Seed.

Okay, I must clear up some things. First off, **War-Reporter**, do you seriously think I didn't know that twins are born minutes, only sometimes but hours even, apart? Well, I clearly stated Kira had been eight at the accident, and Cagalli was six. Anyone with common sense knows that no woman will sit in a hospital for two years to push out the other twin. **i Mel-chan i**, 1) Older brothers aren't all they're cracked up to be (More like on crack) and 2) Yes Azrael is their guardian, I will explain this later. Also, there are selfless reasons that Kira hasn't run away with Cagalli, I will explain this further as well. And also, **Riley-Mayori** oh how observant you are, but maybe, maybe not. In conclusion, this is an original story. Thank you and enjoy.

**Chapter 2 School's Just Another Hell**

Kira felt pain jolt through his body at every step he took. He winced slightly when a hot pain flashed through his side, but he wouldn't let his sister see. She'd just get worried, and he didn't want her to worry and fuss about him.

Cagalli looked over to her brother with a sad expression. She couldn't believe he went through all of this. The only thing that kept her from going to the authorities was what Kira had told her one night, only a week after living with Muruta.

_Sitting on the side of his bed with tears stinging her eyes, an eleven year old Cagalli stared horrified at the bruises and cuts on her brother's back. They were sure to leave scars. Kira's breathing was what kept her from making a noise. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. The touch of a hand brought her back to her senses. "Kira?" she asked, barely above a whisper. The boy looked at her sad face and sighed. "Cagalli, you should get back to bed, we have school tomorrow…" he gasped slightly as his skin sent a wave of pain through his back. Cagalli placed a hand on his un bruised shoulder. "Kira, why don't you go to the police? Or we could just run away together. We're all we need," she mumbled softly as he looked away from her. _

_He finally spoke, but in a serious tone that meant everything he said. "Cagalli, you do realize Muruta is very wealthy don't you?" he asked. She nodded, "Yea, but what's that have to do with-" He interrupted her. "Cagalli, we just have to stay here till I'm twenty (**A/N See on ending note**). During that time though, we can use Muruta's money for your education. Other families wouldn't be able to pay for their own children, then alone a foster or adoptive child. Then, we can live on our own and you'll get the life you deserve-" It was her turn to interrupt. "What about what you deserve?" she nearly cried. Kira shook his head. "I promised to take care of you Cagalli, and that's exactly what I'll do." Cagalli knew there was no more room for discussion. _

She sighed silently to herself and walked closer to her brother as they neared the school. '_Anyway, if we did go to the police, Muruta would just pay them off_,' she thought bitterly; recalling the time when Muruta had hurt Kira so badly, they had to take him to the hospital. Muruta had easily paid off the doctors and nurses who had seen Kira. Cagalli mentally sneered at those pathetic fools who took the bribes. _'Those bastards, they're letting a man continue to hurt a boy_.' And not just any boy, _her_ brother.

Kira broke her from her thoughts when he nudged her shoulder. "Cagalli, you're friends are waiting for you. You better hurry," he informed her before hugging her quickly like he usually did before making sure she hurried to her friends. Cagalli smiled weakly and hurried to the small group of people waiting for her.

Cagalli put on her happy façade so her friend's wouldn't become suspicious, and waved as she ran over to them. "Hey!" she called as they began to walk without her. She hurried up to them and fell into step beside her blonde haired, magenta eyed friend Stellar Loussier. "Hey Cagalli, what took you so long?" Joked the black haired, red eyed Shinn Asuka. Cagalli narrowed her eyes and growled. "I'm on time you crack-head, if anything I'm earlier than usual." Shinn laughed nervously at the blonde's temper, but Cagalli brightened when her eyes rested on Ahmed. "Hey Ahmed, back from your terrible case of the flu so soon?" The group of friends laughed, but the tan skinned brunette with brown eyes smirked. "Actually no, I love my friends so much I faked being well so my dearest pals could possibly become infected."

Kira smiled as he watched his sister walk into the Junior High half of the school. He himself began the agonizing walk towards the High School. He couldn't see any sign of _them_, so he thought he'd be safe till homeroom at least. He sighed as he walked up the stone steps to the thick metal doors of Kurenai Sakura High: His hell away from hell. Only difference was he had a few teachers that provided shelter from all the taunts, jeers, insults, and beatings he was so used to. In fact, he was slightly relieved _they_ hadn't shown up yet. He just had to get to his locker, and then homeroom and he'd be fine till lunch period.

But of course fate, as it had been for nearly nine years, was cruel and merciless. The brunette heard the change in volume of the student's voices around him before he felt someone grab his shoulder from behind and spin him around to face the student behind him.

Amethyst met emerald as Kira felt his hopes shatter for that morning. "So, are you trying to avoid us now Azrael?" The bluenette jeered as two other boys walked up to him. Kira said nothing as the emerald eyed boy glared at him, but Kira was roaring on the inside that the boy had dared call him by that name. "What? Not man enough to stand up for yourself?" Kira just stared at him weakly, wishing they would just get it over with. "Can you just get it over with? I'm really not in the mood," The brunette's eyes widened slightly when he realized he'd spoken.

The bluenette had surprised eyes, which then turned into glinting orbs as a dark smirk crossed his face. "Well Dearka, Yzak, you heard Azrael. Let's get it over with…" Kira tensed when the silver haired, blue eyed boy grabbed him and held him from behind, only to wince terribly as the green eyed boy's fist connected with his stomach right on a tender spot Muruta had created last night. "What's wrong? It couldn't possibly have hurt that bad," the boy chuckled to himself as Kira struggled to keep his legs steady. His stomach was feeling extra sore this morning, due to the harsh thrashing he'd had to endure last night; therefore making it look as though he was too weak to even take a punch.

He felt pain in his face as the boy's fist collided with his right cheek. He staggered a bit in Yzak's grip, but then the silver haired boy pushed him to the ground. Kira winced from the kicks he received, and felt relived when they stopped, only to hear the sounds of a teacher's shoes clicking on the hallway tiles. "Hey! No Fighting! Break it up, now!" a man's voice sounded. Kira looked up to see the boys slightly step back. He struggled to get up as the teacher came closer, but smiled once on his feet. "Sorry, we were just messing around. Won't happen in the halls again," Kira explained with enough enthusiasm of that being the truth, the teacher seemed dazed, "Boy's will be boy's I guess. But young man, make sure you and your friends don't continue to horse around in the halls." the teacher warned, a bit suspiciously.

As the teacher walked off, Kira bent down to grab his back pack which had been thrown to the ground during the fight. Standing with everyone still staring at him in amusement, disgust, and shock, he surprised them more by bowing to the three boys and saying in a quiet voice, "I'm sorry for getting in your way," before walking towards his locker. The three boys stared after him in shock. Kira could have ratted them out easily, he'd have all the proof he needed, and they could even be expelled for such behavior, but he ignored it.

"Athrun, we should get to class," The tan skinned, blonde haired boy with violet eyes told the bluenette. Athrun just nodded, slightly interested why Kira Azrael had never stood up to him, and never even said a word about it to teachers. '_There's definitely something strange about him. I've been bullying him for three years! Ever since eighth grade, he's been my favorite outlet to pick on, he was always so weak.'_ Athrun just brushed it off in unconcern and walked with his friends to class.

Ms. Murrue Ramius walked through the rows of desks, collecting the papers from her students. "So class, most of you have turned in your fairly easy assignment, but some of you failed to even remember what it was about," Her voice sounded in mock disappointment. She smiled though at her favorite student when she reached his desk. "Good morning Kira, I trust you have your assignment?" she asked with a warm smile. Kira just stared at his desk top sullenly. "Actually Ms. Ramius, I couldn't finish it last night…" he replied quietly. The woman had a surprised look on her face, but showed a smile after a moment of thought. "Well, I wish to speak with you after class then," Kira nodded, thinking he would receive his punishment and chastisement then.

Ms. Ramius then walked to her desk before placing the papers down and beginning the lesson. Kira meanwhile, tried to focus on the teacher, but his head was pounding. He winced when the woman asked students to take out their books, but the students groaned and slammed the heavy textbooks onto their desks, creating an unpleasant banging sound. But none the less he took out his own book and flipped to the specified page on the board and began the class work.

Cagalli sighed as her math teacher droned on about triangles and surface area. Looking over to her left, she saw Shinn fumbling with a piece of paper, folding it into a small triangle and then unfolding it before writing something in it, and then folding it up again. He looked over at her and smirked before flicking the paper over to her. She sighed silently and opened the note to read: 'Unless we're wrapping a wedge of cheese for a Christmas present, why do we need to know surface area of triangles?'

Shaking her head, Cagalli responded with: 'Because it keeps us bored and preoccupied so teachers can have a break from screaming kids…like a certain Asuka I know…' Cagalli folded it and took aim before flicking it to her friend. The small folded note hit Shinn in the forehead causing him to curse quietly. He glared at her as she smirked, and then he pouted as he read her response. Quickly scribbling down something on the back, he flicked it back to her.

Opening the note, Cagalli twitched an eye. Inside, it read: But you _looooooove_ me! .' The blonde took a moment to think, but then wrote with a wicked smirk: 'Only in your dreams lover boy.' Passing the note back to him, Shinn grinned with an idea. He grabbed a new piece of paper and folded it before scribbling his own message, and sending it back to her.

As the amber eyed girl opened the note, she felt herself gag in disgust. The black haired pervert had written: 'Then I'll continue to dream about caressing your silky calves and rubbing my hands all over your glistening body,' Cagalli grimaced at the graphic suggestion of her friend's note, but found an easy way to get revenge. Something that would really grind his gears.

Shinn received the note and opened it quickly, to feel his heart stop dead in mid beat. In Cagalli's neat handwriting, she'd written: 'Are you sure you're dreaming about me and not **STELLAR**? _Hm_?' "WHAT?" he shrieked as he sat bolt upright in his chair. Everyone turned in their seats to look back at him as the teacher glared. "Mister Asuka, is their something you'd like to share with the class?" Shinn blushed a deep red, as red as his eyes, and sank in his seat while shaking his head 'No'. "Then I suggest you start paying attention and stop screwing around back there," the man ordered.

As the class resumed the math lesson, Shinn glanced a glare in Cagalli's direction to see her smirking like the Cheshire cat. He slowly moved his hand out of sight so that only his blonde friend could see it, and gave her the finger. Cagalli stuck out her tongue quickly before writing on another piece of paper: 'Don't sweat it, I won't tell her. Honestly, I think you two'd make a cute couple.' As Shinn read the note she sent him, he seemed to relax, but he blushed again at reading the last part of her note.

As the class continued, the two kept flicking note towards each other, Cagalli torturing the boy with fluffy messages concerning him and Stellar. Some of which included their first kiss, him proposing, them getting married, their honeymoon, and having evil kids that took after their father and angelic kids that took after their mother. Shinn's responses usually contained curses, swears of vengeance, death wishes, and the occasional, I HATE YOU…But when class was over, they walked out of the room to meet up with Stellar and Ahmed to go to science.

Kira sighed as the bell rang, signifying the end of class and he gathered up his things. When the other students had left the room, he walked up to Ms. Ramius's desk and waited for his chastisement and punishment. Surprisingly, the honey eyed woman smiled. "Kira, how about you come here during lunch and finish up your assignment?" Kira brightened, "That'd be very kind of you Ms. Ramius. Thank you very much," he said relieved. He was about to walk out the door when her words made him freeze. "Kira, you've seemed a bit out of it lately in class, is something bothering you?" Kira thought quickly and mentally thumbed through his agenda. "No, not at all. Just been nervous about the test next week," He then hurried out of the classroom and into the hallway. The woman sitting at her desk looked thoughtful, and then mumbled to herself, "I forgot about the test next week…I told my class about it nearly three weeks ago," she shrugged off the thought and stood, waiting for her next class.

(I'm just gonna skip to lunch, cuz I really don't want to explain every single class, and you don't want me to either.)

Cagalli and her friends brightened when the lunch bell rang. Standing from their computers, they waited for their teacher to dismiss them from their keyboarding class and hurried into the hall. Cagalli and Stellar went towards their lockers as the boys went to theirs after agreeing to meet in the cafeteria. As Cagalli forced her locker open after mumbling a few curses while Stellar easily opened hers, they both took out their lunches and placed their books back in their lockers. Cagalli slammed her locker door shut and Stellar closed hers with a soft clink as the lock was put in place.

The two girls turned when they heard, "Hey Stellar!" Stellar searched the crowd before sighing in annoyance and turning to Cagalli, "C'mon, let's hurry up and meet with the boys," Cagalli stared at her friend curiously. "Who called your name?" the amber eyed teen asked as the two girls took the long way to the cafeteria. Stellar sighed after checking over her shoulder. "It was Auel Neider and Sting Oakley. I swear, they won't leave me alone! And now Orga Sabnak and his weird friends give me cat calls whenever I walk by! God I wish they'd stop!" she cried exasperatedly. Cagalli laughed, "They think you're cute then," Stellar blushed. "Yea, well I don't care! I want them all off my back," she grumbled as the loud noises of a cafeteria met their ears.

"Besides, I don't care what they think. There's only one person I want to look at me the way they do," the magenta eyed girl mumbled to herself. Cagalli perked up with interest. "_Go on_, who does our little Stellar have a crush on?" Stellar seemed to turn the shade of red like Shinn had after reading Cagalli's first response to his perverted note. "You have to promise not to tell," Cagalli nodded while holding up her hand. "I swear on Kira's cooking skills I won't tell a soul." Stellar smiled, "I'm glad Kira's such a good cook then," Cagalli saw where this was going, "Oh no, no changing the subject, now out with it!" Stellar sighed, "It's Shinn…"

Instead of laughing like she'd expected, Stellar saw Cagalli had a glazed over look in her eyes. "Cagalli?" the girl asked cautiously. Cagalli smiled. "You two would make such a cute couple, I can picture it now, kissing in the halls, him proposing, you two having _fun_ on your honeymoon, having a bunch of kids to show how much you love each other-" Stellar cut her off as she blushed madly. "Ca-gal-li!" she cried in emphasis on her name. The blonde smirked, "You should start showing your feelings, you know, like being shy around him, and giggle when he does something stupid, even if no one else does, support his crazily idiotic ideas," Stellar sighed, " One, I already do that around him, and two, I knew you'd take this out of hand," Cagalli smirked. "Don't worry; if it's the last thing I do, I'll make sure Shinn _proposes_, I mean asks you out before the end of the year!" "Har-har," she mumbled at the Cagalli's joke, but brightened. "You'd seriously help?" Cagalli shrugged, "Yea, you're my best friend after all."

The two girls stopped their little discussion as they saw Shinn standing on his chair waving to them. Cagalli slightly nudged Stellar, "Time to start your flirty acting," Stellar blushed a bit, but smiled when Cagalli came closer to their table where the boys were and shouted at Shinn, "Get the hell of that chair you crack-head!" Cagalli ordered. Stellar giggled as Shinn pretended to tip an invisible hat to them and stepped off the chair, "Whatever Milady requests, I shall do! Or do the complete opposite…" One glare from Cagalli got Shinn sitting in his chair quickly.

Kira walked into Ms. Ramius's classroom, carrying his books with him. The teacher was at her desk grading some papers and smiled. "Hello Kira, you can just sit down and start working." Kira nodded with a small smile and quickly set to work. It only took him a few moments to flip through the pages of his text book and finish up his assignment, and Ms. Ramius was clearly surprised he'd finished it so quickly. "Thank you Kira, I'm sure you'll do great on the test." Kira nodded before heading out of the classroom.

But the woman stared after him in wonderment, she knew he had barely finished half the assignment when he'd walked in, and he was completely done with it in eight to ten minutes. "Even though he is a Coordinator, he still seems to progress much faster than his fellow Coordinator classmates," she wondered aloud.

When she'd first had Kira in her classroom in ninth grade, she knew he couldn't be a Natural; his learning capabilities were more progressive than the other students. But after taking a look at his profile in the school, she saw he was in fact a coordinator. She'd even heard from the nurse Talia Gladys that he was if anything a perfect coordinator specimen. But what confused many of the school workers was that his little sister was a Natural. Murrue sighed before getting back to her papers. Kira was a mater she'd need to think about later.

Kira walked out onto the campus and towards the large cherry blossom tree with red, not pink, flowers which the school was named after, Kurenai Sakura Middle & High School. He looked up into its gnarled branches as he stood under it, admiring the light filtering through the flowers and leaves. He sat down and took out his lunch before pulling a book from his bag and leaning against the large trunk of the tree. As he read, he quickly finished off his lunch and spent the last few minutes of his lunch period reading.

What he didn't notice was the girl walking towards him.

A shadow fell over him and he looked up with uncertain eyes into the kind looking face of a girl with short auburn hair. She was smiling at him. He seemed a bit taken aback from her behavior, but didn't want to be impolite. "Can I help you?" he asked quietly. The girl nodded, "Yes, can you tell me your name? I'm Miriallia Haww." Kira smiled weakly. "Kira Azrael," he replied as she took a seat next to him. "Why are you sitting all by yourself?" she asked curiously, eyeing all the other groups of people eating together. Kira sighed, "I always do. When I was in Junior High, I used to eat with my little sister," Miriallia smiled. "You have a little sister?" she asked. Kira nodded, "Yea, her name's Cagalli," Miriallia smiled widely. "I have a little sister in eighth grade, her name's Katie. What grade is Cagalli in?" Kira replied, "Eighth," The auburn haired girl grinned, "Then we should let them hang out sometime! We just moved here, and I'm shy about meeting new people. I saw you and thought it'd be easier to talk to you since you looked lonely. Kira looked away a bit sadly. "So that explains it,"

Miriallia gave the brunette a worried look with her aqua eyes. "Explains what?" Kira turned to her with a solemn look on his face. "I'm not exactly on everyone's good side. You'd probably be better avoiding me if you want to have friends. Just thought it'd be fair to warn you," He stated as he stood up. Maybe if she'd known what she was getting into trying to be his friend, he wouldn't have minded. But a part of him, his selfish, darker side wanted to be friends with her. He grabbed his bag and swung it over his shoulder. "I better get going, I guess I'll see you around," he stated as a goodbye before walking back towards the school. He winced a bit when he heard her begin to follow him.

"But, you seem so nice! Why would anybody not like you?" Kira turned grimly towards her. "You'll find out sooner or later, but I really can't give you a reason." He left the aqua eyed girl standing there and walked up the steps of the school. He stopped when he heard someone coming up behind him. "Wait Kira!" Miriallia called, a bit of annoyance in her voice. He turned and sighed. "You're really persistent, aren't you?" he asked. She smiled. "I want to be your friend. And if you find me annoying, too bad. From what you say, I'd like to get a look, and a piece, of the people who don't like you," Kira smirked. "Look around then," Miriallia looked around, but only saw students eating lunch, talking, and walking into the school. "Kira, all I see are students," Kira shook his head. "Everyone around here has a problem with me. And they'll have a problem with you if you keep hanging around me," Miriallia smiled. "Well I like you, you seem like a nice person, so they can all shove it up their money slots if they've got problems with me being your friend." Sighing, Kira walked into the school with Miriallia by his side.

"See you all later!" Cagalli shouted to her friends as they left school. Shinn's mother was picking him and Ahmed up since they lived next door to each other, and Stellar was walking home with her brother, Neo. "By Cags! See you tomorrow!" The blonde called to her friend. Cagalli waved and sat down on the stone steps of the High School and waited for her brother. Looking over, she saw an auburn haired girl with aqua eyes and long hair pulled into a low ponytail. She recognized her as the new student in her homeroom, but she couldn't remember her name.

A shadow fell over her and she looked up curiously into her brother's face. "Hey Cagalli, how was school he asked as he helped her up. Cagalli replied with a simple, 'Okay' before hugging him quickly. Kira smiled at his sister as Miriallia brought the auburn haired girl over. "Kira, I want you to meet my sister. Katie, this is my friend Kira," The older girl told the younger girl. Kira turned and smiled before holding out his hand. "Hi Katie," he greeted her politely. Katie smiled with a large grin. "Oh, Cagalli, I'd like you to meet Miriallia," Kira told his sister. Cagalli grinned and held out her hand. Miriallia shook it and smiled at her.

"She is so cute," Miriallia cooed, making Cagalli blush. Kira laughed, and Cagalli elbowed him lightly. Katie held out her hand to Cagalli, "Hi, didn't I see you in homeroom? You were with that crazy black haired kid, right? The one who spilled Mrs. Gregors coffee all over her pants?" Cagalli laughed, "Yep that was Shinn." Kira shook his head, "His mother still lets him eat sugar, doesn't she?" he asked. Cagalli chuckled. Miriallia looked at her watch, and smiled. "Well, we have to get going. See you tomorrow Kira, Cagalli!" Katie waved to Cagalli, "See you tomorrow!"

The brother and sister watched the sisters hurry off. Cagalli then looked up at her brother and smiled warmly. "You finally made a real friend?" she asked warmly. Kira looked down at her and ruffled her hair, "Yea, she wouldn't listen to me when I told her about the other students," Cagalli saddened a bit, but then hugged her brother warmly, "Well, make sure you don't do something to scare her off," the blonde joked as the two slowly stepped down the stone stairs. Kira chuckled at his sister's words and placed a protective arm around her shoulders.

Athrun watched as the blonde girl had hugged Kira, and smirked to himself seeing how happy the boy seemed with the girl around him. "Who do you think she is?" Dearka asked curiously. Athrun shook his head, "I don't know, but whoever she is, I still have some unfinished business with Azrael," Athrun finished before walking towards the two, Yzak and Dearka following behind him.

Kira felt someone watching them, and turned around just in time for a fist to land itself on his right cheek which had been hit this morning. "KIRA!" Cagalli cried as he staggered to stay on his feet. Kira wiped his face and looked to see Athrun and the other two boys behind him. '_Not now, not in front of Cagalli,_' he thought desperately to himself. Athrun smirked darkly and cast a glance over to the girl. "Now what's a pretty girl like you doing with a loser like him?" he asked, pointing his thumb at Kira. Kira just reached for Cagalli's shoulder and she looked over at him. "C'mon, let's just go," Athrun dropped the smirk. "I don't think so; we have some unfinished business to tend to!"

Dearka came up to Kira and grabbed his arms, pulling them behind his back. Yzak stood next to Athrun as he raised his fist to strike Kira again, and punched the boy in the ribs. Cagalli gasped in worry as Kira gasped in pain. She knew he had a bruise the size of a grapefruit in the middle of his ribs, and the blue haired boy had just punched him there. She narrowed her eyes and rushed forward and stood in front of Kira as the boy tried to land another punch on her brother.

The boy's fist hit her square in the stomach and she shuddered at the force of the blow. "Cagalli!" Kira shouted in bewilderment as his sister staggered in front of him. "You BASTARDS!" she screamed in anger as she stood straight. Athrun was stunned for a moment because he had just landed a hard punch on a girl, but also that she hadn't cried out in pain either. "So, your name's Cagalli?" He asked with a smirk as he stepped closer to the girl. She growled and replied, "What's it to you asshole?" she demanded. Athrun smirked as his hand went to touch her cheek seductively.

Most girls melted at just that, but Cagalli surprised him greatly by first snapping away from him, and then stomping on his foot. He grumbled, but then gasped as the girl kicked him in his family jewels. "Oh shit," he gasped, surprised at the pain. Dearka had a shocked look on his face, and Yzak had stepped forward and pulled the blondes arms from behind her and retrained her. Cagalli struggled in the boy's grip, and glared at the emerald eyed boy. "What the hell was that for?" Athrun shouted angrily, his eyes burning with anger and hate. Cagalli held his gaze. "For being a cowardly bastard!" Athrun growled and punched her again in the stomach.

Kira growled and kicked Dearka in the knee to get out of his grip, and then jumping at Athrun. "How dare you touch her!" he yelled before tackling the boy to the ground and trying to keep him still long enough to punch him in his pretty face. Kira successfully landed a punch in Athrun's face, but then Dearka grabbed him again and held him back. Athrun stood and glared at the two people in front of him. The girl was breathing heavily, trying to calm herself from the boiling anger in her gut, but had now success. "You know what Azrael, I was just going to pound the crap out of you, but now I think I'll do something a bit more drastic," Kira widened his eyes, but felt terrible anger in the shape of a small lavender seed shatter inside him when Athrun walked towards his sister and smirked before placing a hand on her cheek and crushing his lips on hers.

Cagalli growled into his mouth and opened her mouth to bite him. Athrun pulled away when she tried to bite his lower lip, and smirked at her. Looking over to Kira, he felt a bit surprised, and almost felt fear when he saw the deadly look in his eyes. No light seemed to be in his eyes. Kira growled and broke forcefully out of Dearka's grip and tackled Athrun. Athrun tried to get the boy off him and block his punches, one such punch missing his face and crashing into the sidewalk. He could hear a small crack of bone, and felt fear in his eyes when Kira lifted his hand to reveal bloody knuckles.

Athrun managed to get Kira onto his side and stood, but Kira stood quicker than he thought he would and slammed his fist into Athrun's face. Cagalli broke away from Yzak and rushed to her brother. "Kira! Kira, stop it!" she called desperately, remembering the crazed look in her brother's eyes from eight years ago. She laced her arms around his waist and tried to pull him away from Athrun. "Kira, stop it!" Kira broke out of the anger induced trance, and saw Athrun holding his cheek, a thin line of blood running from the corner of his mouth and another trickle of blood from one of his nostrils.

Kira felt his breath catch in his throat and looked to see Cagalli holding him. "Cagalli," he whispered softly. She looked up at him with fearful eyes. "Kira, I saw that look again." Kira knew what she meant, and felt a wave of guilt wash over him. Cagalli let go of him and didn't care that the boys were standing there. She let the tears fall, and felt Kira's arms pull her towards him and he led her away from the scene.

Sending a glance over his shoulder as if to warn the boys not to dare try anything, he kept walking and turned down to Cagalli. A guilty look in his eyes seemed to be causing him pain. Dearka and Yzak were freaked out. Kira had always been weak and quiet, never fought back. But Athrun, he seemed almost pleased. _'That Cagalli, she sure is something new_,' he thought to himself. '_I think I need to find a way to get Kira out of the picture_,' Athrun chuckled to himself. "C'mon guys, we should be getting home." Athrun began walking towards the direction of the school parking lot with Yzak and Dearka following.

Kira opened the front doors to Muruta's mansion quietly and helped Cagalli inside. Closing the doors, he took off his shoes and took her bag with his own and walked her to the living room. She sat on the couch and he dropped their bags in front of the low rise table a few feet away from the couch and told her to lay down. He then went to the kitchen and returned with a bag of ice and a jar of ointment. Sitting next to her, Kira smiled, "Can you lift your shirt, or do you need help?" Cagalli smiled weakly, and unbuttoned the dark red blazer and pulled off the black collared shirt she wore, revealing her chest and stomach. Kira winced seeing the large bruise already forming on her soft, pale skin.

Opening the jar, Kira stuck two fingers into the cream colored ointment and then began rubbing his fingers over the bruise on her stomach, gently at first, then harder to get the skin to absorb the healing balm. Cagalli shuddered at his gentle touch. "That stuff's cold!" she complained. Kira chuckled, "It'll be warm in a minute,"

True to his word, Cagalli felt the ointment get warmer as Kira rubbed it into her stomach. It was probably from his warm hands, but she didn't care. It was a relief that the bruise didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. Kira wiped his fingers on a cloth, and then placed the bagged ice on her stomach. "Holy shit, that's freezing!" Cagalli exclaimed, her hands twitching with want to take it off her stomach. "Don't Cagalli, this and the ointment and rest will keep the bruise from being painful and from growing too dark." Cagalli trusted her brother and looked away from the ice pack. "Fine, but what am I supposed to do now?" she asked in a bored tone.

Kira reached in her bag and pulled out her book from English class. "Read chapters one through ten tonight," he ordered. Cagalli opened her mouth to protest. "But I only have to read one through four!" Kira smirked, "Too bad! I said one to eleven!" Cagalli gasped lightly, "You said ten!" Kira wagged his finger, "Must I make it twelve?" Cagalli mumbled and took the book. She cracked open the book and began reading. Kira sat down and took out her schoolwork and saw she only had a math sheet and a science sheet. Grabbing a pencil, he began to do her homework for her, copying her handwriting down to the last way she'd begin a sentence with a lowercase letter and then erase it to make it capitalized.

After six minutes, he began the math sheet. He smiled at the easy problems. He showed his work and made the same scratch marks Cagalli usually did from boredom. The problems were done within minutes, and he turned around to see Cagalli reading diligently. He then began his own homework.

Kira finished his work around ten thirty, after having to take an hour brake to make dinner for him and his sister. Muruta had yet to come home, so he left the man's dinner in the fridge so he could warm it up when he finally got home. He looked to see his blonde sister sleeping peacefully on the couch with the book in her hand. He smiled before walking towards her and lifting her into his arms. Kira carried Cagalli to her room and laid her down on her bed. He slid her skirt off so she wouldn't wrinkle it overnight, and pulled the covers over her body. He walked quietly out of her room before closing the door and making his way to the laundry room.

After putting both their school uniforms in the wash, he walked into the living room to read the book he was reading earlier. The only times he stopped reading was when he had to put their clothes in the dryer, and when he ironed them for tomorrow. When he returned to his reading, his eyes were weary and he glanced at the clock and saw it read two past midnight. "Great, and still no sign of Muruta," he mumbled. He stood and went into the kitchen. Taking the man's dinner out of the fridge, he placed it in the microwave and set the timer. Before he went to his room, he quickly scrawled a note that said if Muruta was hungry, all he had to do was press the start button on the microwave.

Yawning, Kira walked towards Cagalli's room to hang up her uniform, and then carried his own to his room to hang it up in the small closet. The boy then fell onto his bed in exhaustion and fell asleep.

**(Yawn!) Man, what a long chapter…8 pages? Holy crap! Ah well. Now, how do you all feel about Kira's little fight with the school bullies? Do you hate me for making Athrun evil? Well if I didn't think that blue haired boy was so handsome, but not nearly as sexy as Kira (Gets head whacked with a baseball bat by Lacus), he would stay evil. (Get whacked in the head with an anvil by Cagalli) But what will Miriallia go through now that she's Kira's friend? (Note: THIS IS NOT A MIRIALLIA KIRA FIC!) What will Kira face tomorrow at school? What will Cagalli face tomorrow? Will Stellar be in danger from the boys? What will Kira's punishment for not waiting up on Muruta be? I'm not telling you till chapter 3! HA!**

**P.s. In my story, you must be twenty to be able to live on your own and take care of a child (In short, be an adult), not eighteen.**

Sam


	3. Not Very Welcome Events

**For You**

Kira is the older brother, it's his duty to protect his little sister; he even has scars to prove it. But Cagalli can't help but cry for him every night. But though he's hurt, he still smiles for her. She can't help but feel weak around him, and when he starts hurting himself, how can she bear the painful love?

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own Gundam Seed.

Isn't that sweet that you all want a nice Athrun, but if you haven't noticed in the summary, it says AxC and KxL, so yea. And because I love my reviewers, I'll start making Athrun nicer, okay? Just remember, I hold all the cards, hehehe…and feel free to guess what'll happen next chapter, cause I could just as easily say _no_ to what _will_ happen, so **HA**! Also, this is not a KiraxCagalli fic, but since the story is mainly about them, they are the main characters described in the character boxes. Enjoy the story!

**Chapter 3 Not Very Welcome Events**

Feeling a pair of eyes staring at him, Kira opened his eyes to see pale blue irises staring at him. He sat up and stuttered, "A-Azrael-sama, do you need something-?" Kira winced lightly when he felt a slap on his cheek. "You worthless brat! I never got to get rid of my stress last night," Kira looked towards the man with fear in his eyes. Muruta reached forward and grabbed Kira by his hair before pulling him off his bed. Kira groaned when his body made forced contact with the floor and the man pulled him up to face him by his hair.

Muruta smirked at the boy, a violent glint in his eyes. "And you know what that means," Kira winced and tried to raise a hand to grab the man's wrist pulling his hair, but Muruta reached forward quickly and grabbed the boy's hand and pulled it around on his back. Kira cried out in pain when Muruta let go of his hair and punched the boy in his back, causing the boy to fall to his knees.

Kira looked over his shoulder to glare at the man, but then Muruta threw him on his side. The brunette gasped in pain and gripped his shoulder after it hit the bed frame. The blonde man smirked as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade. Kira's lavender eyes widened at the gleam of the small knife, and gulped nervously. He could tell this one was new, and small ridges on the edge of the blade glimmered, just waiting to gash his flesh and shed his blood.

"What's wrong Kira? Scared?" The man whispered darkly as he leaned down, holding the blade firmly in front of the boy's face. Before Kira could move, Muruta reached for his arm and pulled it towards him. Kira hissed in pain as the man dug the blade into his upper arm and slid it down to his elbow. Kira winced in pain from the depth of the gash the knife was cutting.

Muruta pulled the blade out of his arm and stared at the now crimson surface of the knife. Smirking, Muruta glanced at Kira and pulled the boy towards him before slamming him onto the floor. Kira felt the wind knocked out of him and struggled weakly under the bastard's hold. Muruta smirked darkly before using the blade to cut through the back of the grey t-shirt Kira was wearing and cut into his back. Kira cried out in pain as Muruta traced along other scars, and new cuts that had just begun to heal. Kira winced and felt a stinging sensation on his back as Muruta's knife cut open one of the scars that the flying glass had made when it punctured his back in the accident.

Muruta continued to make shallow and deep gashes in his back, no pattern, just to give pain to the boy that had stopped struggling bellow him. Kira felt a strange feeling of exhaustion flowing through his system. He tried to move his hand, but winced when he couldn't muster the strength, resulting in screaming nerves in his wrist. He also felt the heavy liquid of his blood on his hand. '_How long is he going to do this?' _Kira wondered desperately in his mind.

Just when the boy thought he couldn't take any more, Muruta stopped making incisions in his back and stood after wiping the knife clean with a cloth he pulled out of his pocket. Kira groaned softly as he turned his head to see Muruta standing over him, a sick smile on his face. "My Kira, it seems you won't be feeling too well for the next day or so. I guess I'll just call you in sick for school, can't have anyone knowing about our little secret now hm?" Muruta chuckled as he walked out of the room. Kira winced when he tried to sit up, but the pain in his back was too great.

Glancing up at the digital clock on his nightstand, Kira sighed: 4:37am. He laid his head back down on the wood flooring of his room which seemed to be turning a dark red color. He closed his eyes when his eye lids became too heavy and felt himself slipping into sleep. One thought crossed his mind before he succumbed to the darkness welcoming him into a deep, painless slumber. '_Cagalli…_'

Hearing her alarm clock going off, Cagalli looked over and noticed she'd slept in her own bed. Then she remembered, she'd fallen asleep on the couch last night while reading the eleventh chapter to her book. She sat up and stretched her arms, but doubled over as a sore ache flooded from her stomach. She looked down and saw a light bruise on her abdomen, and then she remembered. She remembered the fight with the blue haired boy. '_Athrun_…' she thought in disgust and disdain.

She slipped the covers off her body and felt a shiver before looking down and seeing she was only in her bra and lingerie. She blushed lightly and looked around her room as a natural instinct, and found no one. She sighed and stood, walking towards her dresser and opening the top drawer. She pulled out a bra and underwear before stripping of her current clothing and slipping them on. She strode to her closet and opened it grudgingly to see that her uniform was clean and neatly ironed.

Cagalli pulled her black collared shirt off its hangar and slipped it over her head before grabbing her skirt and slipping it on. Finally, she grabbed her blazer and tie before putting them both on and stepping back to her dresser and retrieving her socks and slipping them onto her feet before hurrying into the hallway. But before she stepped into the kitchen, she heard Azrael's voice. He must have been talking on the phone, but she widened her eyes when she heard his words.

"Yes, this is Azrael Muruta, Kira's father? I called to let you know Kira may not be coming into school today or tomorrow, it seems he's gotten sick…" that was all the blonde needed to hear before she raced to Kira's room.

Cagalli grabbed for the doorknob and pushed the door open, but gasped when she saw the scene inside her brother's room. **_Blood_**, blood seemed to be everywhere on the floor, a dark red pool on the dark wood panels of the floor. Cagalli took a step closer and fell to her knees beside Kira's sleeping body. She saw dried and wet blood still on his back, and new bruises littered his pale skin. "Kira!" Cagalli cried in a helpless tone.

Reaching forward, she shook his shoulder, but he didn't stir. The only thing that assured her he was alive was that he still breathed shaky breathes every few seconds. Tears threatened her eyes, but Cagalli brushed them away. She only had half an hour before school started, and it would take twenty minutes to get there. She had to bandage her brother quickly.

Rushing to the bathroom, she grabbed the first-aid kit under the sink in the cabinets and grabbed a towel before soaking one end in the sink with hot water. Cagalli returned to Kira's side and began wiping away the blood, wet and dry, off his back and arms. Afterward, she opened the white first-aid kit and pulled out a balm for cuts and unscrewed the lid. She stuck her fingers into the ointment and then began to massage it into her brother's wounds. "I can't believe he did this to you Kira, does he have any sanity left in him?" she asked frightfully, trying to be quick before the wounds had a chance to bleed again.

When she finished with the balm, she realized she couldn't wrap his bandages with his shirt still clinging to him. She ripped it off of him and threw it on the floor next to her before pulling out a thick spool of white linen. She pulled the tape off the end, and began to wrap her brother's arms first, being careful not to wrap it too tightly or too loosely.

Cagalli finished tying the bandages on her brother's arms and then lifted him to a sitting position. The girl then bandaged his chest and back. She took a glance at the clock in his room, but saw it was getting late; she needed to get going soon if she didn't want to get a week of detention. Cagalli heaved her brother onto his bed and situated him comfortably, making sure his bandages were in place. The girl then put the first-aid kit next to his bed and kissed him lightly on the cheek before hurrying out of his room, unaware of the blood on her socks as she closed the door quietly.

The blonde rushed out of the mansion after grabbing her school bag and books. She didn't mind missing breakfast, and she knew she'd be too sick to eat lunch. As she sprinted down the street, hoping the god damned skirt of hers wouldn't fly up on her, she began to realize how useless it would be to try to hurry to school. She stopped running, and began walking. Her face downcast and her eyes cloudy. She was still shaken up about her brother.

It was only to her further dread that a black Jaguar slowed to a stop beside her. Cagalli recognized the car and felt a tight knot tie itself in her stomach. The passenger side window rolled down and she saw Azrael's pale eyes staring at her as a smirk crossed their owner's features. "Now Cagalli, you'll be late for school if you walk. And you know how angry I'd be if you got detention for being late when I just could have drove you," Cagalli kept a stone look on her face and wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear. But he was right. Going against all her instincts that were screaming at her to start sprinting again, she opened the door and sat in the seat before closing the door.

Muruta smirked, knowing he'd won, and then pressed the gas pedal before hurrying off to Kurenai Sakura Junior and High. Cagalli remained alert as if she was sitting on pins and needles instead of the expensive leather seat. She wouldn't say a word, because she knew if she started talking, she'd end up screaming at the bastard. So instead of risking being killed and hauled into a ditch, she remained silent.

When they pulled up to the school, Cagalli glanced at the digital clock in the car and saw she still had eight minutes before class. But before she compared the times of walking and driving, she reached over and opened the door quickly. "Good bye Azrael-sama, arigato for the ride," she mumbled as she stepped out of the car. Muruta seemed a bit disappointed, but nodded and sped off once she slammed the car door shut.

Looking up at the school, she didn't see her friends, and figured they probably hadn't gotten there yet. She decided she'd wait on the steps, but she wouldn't realize just how much trouble she could have avoided if she just went to class.

Athrun leaned against the stone railway that lead up the steps to the High School doors. Yzak and Dearka hadn't gotten to school yet, so he was waiting for them…_and Kira_. But his emerald eyes glinted with a dark smirk when they caught sight of the girl from yesterday, what was her name…'_Cagalli_…' he concluded at last. He also noticed Kira wasn't with her. '_That bastard's probably too scared to come to school, but while he's gone…_' Athrun thought smugly to himself.

Cagalli looked up from her daze when a shadow fell over her, but instead of the sad look in her eyes, her amber orbs began to burn with anger. "Hey Cagalli, where's Kira?" The blue haired boy asked, a smirk gracing his features. Cagalli growled and stood, her hands tightening into fists. "Don't you dare say my name! And why would you care if Kira isn't at school today?" she nearly screamed at him. Athrun felt a bit taken aback by her loud tone, but said, "Azrael's my favorite _nobody_ to use as a punching bag, he should be _honored_ I bother to torment him everyday-" he couldn't continue for the girl had pulled back her fist and punched him in the face. "You bastard! Kira's not a nobody! He's the most important person to me in my life! And you're just to damn fucking retarded to know to just leave him alone!" Athrun wiped his mouth, a steely look in his eyes. "You little bitch," Athrun spat, anger filling his eyes. Cagalli tensed for a punch, but didn't notice the boys behind her till a hard fist made contact with her back.

Cagalli cried out as she feel to her knees from the brunt attack. "Athrun, you're going soft, letting a girl talk to you like that. And hitting you too? Now that's a shocker," Dearka smirked at his friend as Yzak stared disgusted at Cagalli. "This little bitch needs to be taught a lesson," the silver haired boy stated. Dearka chuckled with a dark grin. Athrun glared down at Cagalli, matching her angry gaze. "I think she does," he said finally. Reaching down and grabbing her by the hair, Athrun pulled her up to face him. "Too bad I have to do this, you know, you are one feisty girl, I'll give you that much," He confessed with a smirk as he pulled his fist back to punch her. But before he could hit her, someone grabbed his shoulder and dug their nails through his blazer and into his shoulder before sending a well proportioned kick to his side.

Athrun dropped his hold on Cagalli who looked behind the boy to see a girl with short auburn hair. "You bastards, picking on girls? I can't believe what boys will do these days!" Miriallia scolded angrily as she stepped towards Cagalli. "Cagalli, are you all right?" the girl asked worriedly. The blonde girl stared into Miriallia's eyes with gratitude and surprise. "Yea, but how did you-?" Cagalli was cut off when Dearka grabbed her from behind and restrained her while Yzak grabbed Miriallia. "Get your filthy hands off me you dickwad!" The aqua eyed girl shouted angrily before stomping on Yzak's foot and spinning around to punch him in the stomach.

Dearka lost his grip on Cagalli and she turned and kick the tan skinned boy in his place where the sun didn't shine_…much_. Dearka gasped at the pain and doubled over, groaning loudly. By now, a crowd had formed a circle around the five, watching in uncertainty. Miriallia did as Cagalli did with Yzak, but didn't notice Athrun get behind her. The bluenette spun her around and punched her roughly in the gut, causing her eyes to widen in surprise and pain. As Mir staggered, she tried to stand straight up and send a kick towards Athrun's knees, but he was too quick and before he knew it, the emerald eyed boy threw his fist in Miriallia's face. "Miriallia!" Cagalli screamed as the high school girl fell to her knees.

Turning on Athrun, Cagalli felt anger boiling in her veins. "_You fucking bastard!_" She screamed and lunged at him. In her sub conscious, she thought she could see the faint shimmer of an amber seed beginning to crack, but she didn't care, and smirked in pleasure when her fist successfully made contact with Athrun's face. Athrun stumbled back and looked back to Cagalli with a bit of blood dripping from his mouth. "You, little, bitch…" he mumbled before wiping the blood away and preparing to punch her. But then at least three teachers showed up, breaking through the wall of students and grabbing the fighting students.

Nurse Talia helped Miriallia up, who was clutching her left half of her face in pain. The Assistant Principle, Rau Le Creuset, grabbed Athrun and held his arms back. Cagalli was restrained by the gym teacher, Mwu La Flaga. Dearka and Yzak were grabbed by two other teachers, the science teacher Andrew Waltfeld and the math teacher Marco Morassim. Erika Simmons, the secretary of the High School, began ushering kids to their classes. "All right, nothing to see here, now get out of here! Get to class now!" she ordered, making sure no one stayed outside. Turning back to the group of students that started it all, she seemed surprised when she saw Cagalli. "Cagalli, I didn't think you'd be caught in a fight, what would you're brother think?" Erika asked as she walked towards the blonde girl. Athrun widened his eyes, '_Brother_?'

Cagalli glared at Athrun, "It's all his fault! He started the whole thing!" Erika sighed and turned to Rau. "Rau, what do you think we should do? Dullindal isn't here today so you're the replacement Principal." The man seemed thoughtful for a moment, his blue eyes clouded with thought. "Seeing as how this is the first actual fight we've had on school grounds, I think two hours of detention will do," Cagalli became outraged. "What? First fight? Those bastards have been beating my brother since eighth grade! In your schools!" Athrun was truly puzzled now. Rau glanced at Cagalli and recognized her. "Miss Azrael, I assure you, if these boys were hurting your brother in any way on school grounds, I'd know. And please refrain from using such vulgar language. What would your father say if he knew what words came out of your mouth?" Cagalli glared, "I don't know, why don't you ask him seeing as how you spend so much time with him,"

Athrun felt a small shock go through his system. '_Azrael? Brother? Cagalli's Kira's sister,_' he finally figured out. He didn't know that the quiet, weak brunette had a sister, he'd thought they were a couple. He zoned out as Rau and Cagalli began arguing over something. _'So that means Kira has a strong weakness, I'll just have to exploit it enough till that bastard snaps in two.'_ He thought darkly, smirking to himself. But before he knew it, he was being pushed towards the High School. "All right, Andrew, I want you to send Cagalli to the High School detention room after school, all right? And as for you four," Rau stated, "You four will report to the detention room immediately after school. You will then stay here for two hours, do I make myself clear? Oh, and Ms. Gladys, take her to the clinic," the blonde man finished. Talia nodded and lead Miriallia towards the clinic. Athrun looked behind him and noticed Cagalli wasn't there. '_She's in Middle School…_' he realized, feeling a bit shocked.

(Don't feel like explaining the rest of the day, so let's skip to detention! Heheh…the losers…)

Cagalli stood and grabbed her school bag when Mr. Waltfeld came for her. She was waiting in the front office for him and had been glaring at the colorful banners saying how school was fun, great, safe, etcetera, and cursing each and every single lie they stated in colorful, bold letters. "Well Cagalli, I must say, I never thought you'd be stuck in a brawl," the man told her as they walked out of the junior high school and towards the high school. Cagalli just grumbled and cursed under her breath. Andrew smirked and looked down at her to ask, "How did it feel punching Athrun Zala in the face?" Cagalli stared at her science teacher, dumbfounded. "Uh, well, I was angry because he was insulting my brother. But, I guess it felt, satisfying?" she tried, hoping the teacher didn't give her extra detention or anything. But to her amazement, the man began laughing.

When he stopped, he looked back down at Cagalli and smiled. "Well, you should have stepped back as soon as you threw the punch and waited for him to counter and used his weight against him," the man leaned down close as they entered the high school and whispered, "Don't tell anyone I told you this, but the teachers in the teacher's lounge were pleased that you punched Zala. They think it really knocked him down a peg," Cagalli chuckled lightly and smiled a small grin. "Well there's more where that came from, and something tells me Athrun Zala will be receiving extra helpings," Andrew laughed again at the girl's threat and stopped in front of a door. "All right Cagalli, try not to join the dark side in detention, these are high school _monsters_, I mean students," The blonde girl nodded, "Yea I know, see you tomorrow Mr. Waltfeld," And she reached over and turned the metal door knob before opening the door.

When she opened the door, Cagalli looked up into Mwu La Flaga's face. "Well hey there Cagalli, why don't you come in and have a seat?" the blonde haired, blue eyed teacher suggested before closing the door behind her.

Mwu led the girl to where Miriallia sat and Cagalli took the seat beside her. She looked at Mir who gave her a reassuring smile when the blonde's amber eyes widened in shock at the size of the older girl's black eye. Then looking around, Cagalli noticed the boys were there, along with a boy whose hair looked as though he stuck wet forks in electrical sockets all day, and two boys covered in some kind of purple slime that was slowly dyeing their hair violet and turning their clothes orange. Mwu grabbed all their attention by using a meter stick to smack a fly sitting on his desk. Everyone sat about-face sitting up straight in their seats when the smack of the ruler on the desk rang through the small classroom. Looking up, Mwu smiled with a bright grin. "All right, since you've all got two hours of detention for getting in a fight, purposely making a science experiment go wrong, and uh, what did you do again Masuke?" The teacher asked. The boy with the crazy hair thought for a moment, then answered, "For being an individual sir," Some in the room snickered, and Mwu sighed, "Masuke, you're in detention for demonstrating the chicken dance in Biology. Why, may I ask, would you perform the chicken dance in Biology?" the man asked after looking in a teacher's notebook.

Masuke kept a serious face. "Because there were two girls in my class that only knew chickens to perform a stupid dance, so I tried to explain to them the dynamics of a chicken during the chicken dance and show that chickens aren't capable of the Chicken Dance…or the Tango…" "That's enough kid," Mwu cut him off before standing. "Anyway, we're going to give the janitors a break tonight and clean up." Everyone stared at the teacher in bewilderment. "Clean? I can't even clean under my bed!" Cagalli heard Dearka shout. Mwu laughed, "Then think of this as a life lesson."

"Now, I'll assign the pairs who go clean what, and no complaining, trading, murder, or killing yourselves with a mop." Everyone grumbled and cursed under their breath, but Mwu ignored them. Cagalli glanced at Miriallia and knew they would be paired; they were the only girls anyway, so Mr. La Flaga had to pair them together, _right_? **Wrong**. "Miriallia, I want you to go with Dearka and clean the science room where Chip and Dale over there blew up an eggplant-experiment thing-a-ma-jig." Miriallia groaned and slumped in her chair. Cagalli had a worried expression on her face. She would get paired with one of the boys. But who? Maybe one of the purple boys, and maybe if she felt up to losing half her sanity, Masuke, but she couldn't be paired with Yzak, or worse Athrun. "And I want Yzak to be paired with…Masuke. You two clean the boy's bathroom by the cafeteria." Mwu called. Masuke was too busy fiddling with what looked like a gum wrapper to care, but Yzak was definitely not happy.

Cagalli was sitting on pins and needles, hoping she'd get one of the purple boys. Their was a one in three chance she'd be paired with Athrun though, so she had nothing to worry about…right? "Chip and Dale, you two clean the bathroom by the east hallway." Cagalli felt her heart sink. "And that leaves Cagalli and Athrun, you two clean classrooms 39 and 41" Mwu finished, pleased with himself. "Uh, Mr. La Flaga, if you don't remember, Cagalli and Athrun started the fight this morning, they can't work together unsupervised!" Mir objected. Mwu grinned, "Well they'll have to finish those two classrooms in two hours or I'll have them clean the cafeteria on Friday." The high school students froze, Friday at the high school was Fish Taco Friday, and their was always a food fight on Friday that the janitors needed a bonus every time they cleaned it, especially the poor souls who had to Michael Angelo Style clean the ceiling of fish taco. Mwu grinned at them all and pointed at the supply closet, "All right delinquents, get your weapons of cleanliness."

Miriallia grumbled as she stood on a chair to clean the purple slime off the windows. Dearka was busy cleaning the chairs, but risked a few glances at the auburn haired girl. Sometimes she'd bend over just enough to get a dried on piece of slime off the window that he could see right up her skirt. Dearka smirked to himself when she leaned down to grab a bottle of ammonia to spray the windows and he could see what he usually only saw in Victoria Secret magazines. No he didn't read them, he drooled at the pictures.

But Mir knew exactly what he was doing, so instead of using the sponge to scrub the window with ammonia, she threw it at the blonde's head. "You damn pervert! Don't you have any self control?" she demanded angrily before getting a new sponge and resumed cleaning. Dearka was actually enjoying this. _'She looks cute when she's angry_,' he thought to himself before resuming his work.

Yzak groaned in annoyance as Masuke began singing again. "Row, Row, Row your boat, gently down the stream. Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Life is but a disgusting toilet!" "Masuke, if you sing another nursery rhyme, I swear I'll flood your vocal cords with toilet water!" the silver haired boy shouted as he scrubbed the grimy mirrors above the sinks in the bathroom. "Hey, don't complain! I'm cleaning the toilets, _remember_?" Yzak rolled his eyes and scrubbed harder.

"I'm not touching that," "_I'm_ not touching that," "Well I'm not touching it." "Neither am _I_." The boys kept bouncing their words back and forth while standing in front of the _haunted_ bathroom stall. It wasn't really haunted, but the door hinges were rusty, the door's paint was peeling, and a foul smell always emanated from it. No one ever used it, and no janitor was brave enough to clean it. But Mwu had told them he'd lock them in the bathroom if they didn't clean the stall, and had actually locked them in from outside the door. They could only guess what the man was doing outside the door.

One of the boys, the boy with green eyes and blonde hair, finally came to an agreement. "We'll both open it and clean it, it is the larger stall anyway," The other nodded reluctantly and they reached out hesitantly to open the door. Their fingers barely touched the surface of the stall door when it opened slowly to reveal what lay hidden behind it. The boys peered closer in the stall, but then embraced each other in piss-your-pants terror and screamed like little girls.

Out side the bathroom, Mwu flipped another page in his 'Dirty Magazine' and put on head phones before turning up the music as the screams of the boys were muffled by the door and loud music.

Cagalli gripped the mop tightly in her hands as she mopped the red tiles of the classroom. Athrun was cleaning the windows and doing a terrible job at doing so. After a few minutes, Cagalli placed the mop back in the portable plastic bucket and glanced over at Athrun. He was only making more smudges on the window, and they still had to clean the desks and the next classroom. The blonde girl sighed and walked over to him and grabbed a sponge and sprayed the window next to Athrun's with the cleaning solution before scrubbing the glass.

Athrun glanced over and noticed the girl working attentively and quickly, and was nearly done with half the window. He took notice of the way she scrubbed and tried to clean the window the right way, but had no success. Cagalli finished and glanced at the boy beside her and sighed, "Not like that, are you trying to break the window?" she asked in annoyance as she stepped closer and grabbed his hand holding the sponge. "You have to do it in strokes and make sure not to scrub too roughly," she explained, guiding his hand over the window.

The girl then let go of his hand quickly and walked past him to clean the last window. Athrun stared at her for a moment, but then turned back to the window and cleaned it how she'd just explained. After a few more moments of silence, Athrun had to start a conversation. "So, you're Azrael's little sister?" he asked, scrubbing the window. Cagalli froze for a moment, but then resumed her work. "Yes." she stated blandly. Athrun looked over at her, her face looked blank, as if thinking hard about something. "He really is weak," he began, but Cagalli's face burned in rage. "No he's not, I thought he proved that to you yesterday." she replied in a slightly angry tone. The blue haired boy looked back to the window where he was beginning to see his reflection.

"Then how would you describe him? Because what I know of him, he's quiet, distant, skittish, and a nobody-" Cagalli remembered the scene this morning, her brother was so helpless looking. And she remembered the blood. "Stop it! Kira is none of those things! He's the strongest person I know! He's brave, kind, caring…sure he may be quiet, but it's in his nature. And you don't know what he has to go through! You and your friends just add to the pain!" Cagalli had tears threatening her eyes. But then she realized she said too much. Athrun was now staring at her in interest. "What pain?" The blonde girl trembled for a moment, but then shook her head before turning away and walking quickly towards the cleaning supplies before taking them and opening the door to the classroom. "I'm going to start the other classroom, you can finish here," And she was gone. Athrun stared after her, but he turned back to his work and finished up the window before hurrying to clean the desk tops.

Cagalli scrubbed the windows roughly, but was still cleaning them. She felt hot tears slip down her cheeks as she cleaned, but she didn't try to wipe them away. She got over emotional again, she almost leaked Kira's secret. "I can't believe I almost told him, I guess I really am weak," she whispered to herself guiltily. The blonde girl tried to focus on cleaning the windows, but she kept feeling something rubbing against her foot. She leaned down and slipped her school shoes off before resuming her work. But she didn't notice the rust red color of dried blood on the bottom her socks.

Athrun entered the second classroom with the rest of the cleaning supplies and found she'd already done the windows and was now cleaning the desktops. The boy joined her and used the extra rag to wipe the tops of the desks clean. In the middle of their work, he tried to talk to her again. "So, Cagalli," he began casually. She glanced at him with a neutral look, and allowed him to go on. "Is Azrael Muruta really your father? I never knew he was married," Cagalli didn't know if telling Athrun the whole story would be such a good idea, but she might as well tell him a little truth. "No, he's our adoptive father," she tried to speak calmly, but had to stress her voice not to betray her. The boy seemed to think about something, before asking, "What kind of father is he?"

Cagalli knew she wouldn't be able to answer that question, especially not with a lie. She hesitated, before answering, "He's not around much." Athrun stared at her face, and into her eyes. She glanced towards him, and felt her breath catch in her throat. The fading sunlight through the windows she'd just cleaned made his hair shine a violet colour and his eyes shimmered in the amber light. For some reason, she felt her heart quicken as he slowly moved towards her, in his eyes that same glint she saw in Muruta's eyes whenever the man looked at her.

She backed away uncomfortably when he stood in front of her, his eyes scanning her face. "Athrun, what're you-" the boy leaned forward and placed his lips on hers, cutting her off. Cagalli widened her eyes and stepped back, but he followed her, his right hand resting on her hip. The girl turned her face and ducked underneath his arm before turning around again. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she shouted angrily. Athrun just turned around to face her with a victorious smirk across his lips. "I believe I just kissed you." She growled and tensed her body, preparing to strike him. "You bastard, don't touch me!" she shouted when he began to walk towards her.

The blue haired boy gazed down into Cagalli's eyes as his arms wrapped around her small frame and pulled her close to him before planting his lips on hers. She struggled in his grip and tried to push away from him, but Athrun tightened the hold of one arm around both her shoulders to keep her arms restrained and his other hand slowly inched down her back. Lower and lower till his warm fingers were brushing against her lower back thigh and slowly crawling upwards. Cagalli's eyes widened when she realized what he was trying to do. She remembered Mr. Waltfeld's words and fell into Athrun's chest, surprising him and causing his grip to slacken just long enough for her to break away.

But in doing so, she fell backwards and her back hit the hard, red tiles of the classroom. Looking up with anger burning eyes, she glared at the older boy with a hateful passion. (FYI, not a good thing) She didn't under stand his horny smirk till he said, "Nice underwear. It fits you nicely." Cagalli felt her face turn eight shades of red darker than Shinn's eyes as she sat up hurriedly and pulled the bottom of her skirt down to her knees tightly bunched in her fists.

The blonde girl felt a wave of embarrassment hit her hard and squeezed her eyes shut. It wasn't till then that she realized that sitting on the floor gave her the disadvantage. Cagalli glanced up at Athrun to try and figure out what he'd try to do, but saw his emerald eyes staring at not her, but her feet. She followed his gaze and looked down at her white socks which had rust red stains on the bottom of her socks. Athrun recognized the color of blood dried on something white, but didn't know if it was actually her blood. "Cagalli, why is blood-?" Cagalli dazed out for a moment, when another image of Kira lying out cold on the bloody floor hit her. Wincing her eyes to keep the tears from slipping out, she stood and rushed out of the room, forgetting her shoes. Athrun stared after her, then looked behind him to where her shoes sat on the ground.

Kira opened his eyes slightly and waited a few moments for his surroundings to come into focus. He glanced at the night stand next to his bed and saw the bright red numbers show the time: 5:19 pm. He also noticed the first-aid kit lying next to the clock. Then he remembered earlier that morning. He sat up quickly yet painfully, to look down and see he was fully bandaged. "_Cagalli_," he whispered softly with a sad look upon his face. '_Why do I feel as if something very unsettling happened today_?' he asked himself.

**Dear readers, I won't be updating for awhile due to a Spring Break Vacation to Florida to visit my grandma who has no computer or TV, (I'M GONNA DIE!) I'm sorry and must type this quickly for I must leave soon. Don't expect an update till April 22, or maybe later even because that's my birthday and I'll be turning 13 finally and will be spending more time with my family. But, I'll work my butt off Sunday, kay?**


	4. Another New Student

**For You**

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own Gundam Seed.

Ah yes, hello my beloved readers! I am finally legal on this site, hehehehe…And I am sooo happy to be with my darling computer again! And thank you very much for the praise about my writing, I spend a lot of my time, spare and busy, reading or writing. And some of my Fanfictions are anime variations of my own stories, such as Strike and Freedom Samurai (Variations of MY story **Lotus Samurai**). Anyhoo, you all seem to be pretty anxious about when Lacus comes in…You're probably all anxious about what kind of character I've turned her into, hehehehe…And I'm not sure how Cagalli didn't notice her feet were wet, you'll have to ask the author…_waaaaait_…I'M THE AUTHOR! I really don't know, the plot just called for blood on the socks…And I'm glad to see I didn't scare away **Picup**, hello friend. I see Tiffany hasn't gotten you yet, beware of Ireland, that's where I left her and Olivia last time.

And **TFD**, instead of Swiss cheese, can my story/plot be a sponge? Because 1) I don't like Swiss cheese, 2) I _really_ **HATE** CHEESE, and 3) I like sponges. And maybe Kira's just too weak to fight back? Or maybe he doesn't want Muruta to go after Cagalli? Or maybe he knows Muruta won't kill him because that would arouse suspicion? And I haven't gotten to P.E. yet! And finally, **I KNOW I NEED A SHRINK**! And have you given any thought that you may need one as well? How does that make _you_ feel? And I'm sorry this chapter isn't very long.

**Chapter 4 Another New Student**

Cagalli was already walking out of the detention classroom with her school bag when she realized she'd forgotten her shoes in the second classroom. She sighed, knowing she wasn't going back there to retrieve them. Instead she began to walk in the direction out of the High school. She didn't have time to find Mr. La Flaga and tell him she was leaving, and she just wanted to go home.

Athrun still stared at the spot where the blonde girl had sat. His emerald eyes were unfocused as he stared into the red tiles. Snapping back to reality, he glanced back to the windows, and noticed something sitting on the chair. He walked over to the chair, and saw they were shoes. "Seems Cagalli's left her shoes, she'll want them back…" a smirk found its way onto his face.

Kira looked up when the bedroom door opened. "Cagalli?" he asked curiously as the blonde head of his sister poked around the door.

"Oh Kira, I thought you'd still be asleep," she replied as she slipped into the room.

The boy smiled weakly and sat up straight in his bed. "Are you hungry?"

The girl now sitting on the edge of his bed smiled back at him. "Not really, but I'll go make something for you if you are,"

Kira smiled back at her. "No, it's all right. You should get started on your homework. What would you like for dinner?" The brunette boy asked softly as he began to gingerly lift himself from the bed. Unfortunately for him, his little sister didn't want him out of his bed.

Before Kira knew it, Cagalli had pinned him down and stared at him in an almost angry leer. "Oh no you don't! You're staying in bed and you're going to like it. I'm going to cook dinner and you're going to eat it and like it,"

The boy had to interrupt. "No matter how terrible it tastes?"

Cagalli growled, but calmed down quickly. "No dieing from food poisoning is all I ask." The two siblings chuckled from their playful spat, but both stopped when Kira groaned and clutched his arm. "Kira, are you all right?" the blonde girl asked in concern.

He looked up and nodded reassuringly. "No problem, just a little sore. You did an great job bandaging it." The girl nodded solemnly, before getting off her brother and then heading out of the room.

Cagalli cursed quietly as she tried to balance the tray she was balancing their dinner on. She managed to open the door to her brother's room and slip inside without spilling the bowls of noodles on the floor which was actually an improvement. Placing the tray on his night stand, Cagalli sat once again on the edge of her brother's bed.

Kira glanced at their dinner and smirked, "You made instant noodles? My, you are a gourmet chef." The boy laughed at his sister's embarrassed face until Cagalli forced one of the bowls into his hands.

"Just eat it! I didn't want to waste time cooking, and these were in the pantry," The brunette just grinned at her warmly before he began to eat his noodles. The blonde girl followed suit.

It was quiet in the room, aside from the sounds of slurping noodles and swallows. Cagalli finished her bowl quickly and pulled her school bag to her lap before emptying it of its contents. She only had science homework since she and Shinn had already done their math earlier during study hall. Unfortunately, Kira had to break the silence.

"Cagalli, why were you home so late?" he asked quietly, staring at her curiously. The blonde girl's eyes widened a bit, and she hung her head.

"I got detention for being involved in a fight…"

Kira became more interested. "Cagalli, you've never been in a fight-"

His sister sighed before saying, "I got caught in a fight with Athrun Zala."

Kira was silent for a moment before spazzing out. "What? Why? Did he touch you? Are you hurt?"

Cagalli waited for him to take a breath before continuing. "I'm fine, but he gave Miriallia a black eye,"

Kira looked with wide eyes. "Miriallia got into your fight too?"

The blonde nodded. "She tried to help me when Athrun and those other guys ganged up on me,"

Kira gave his sister a bewildered look. "What?"

Cagalli smiled weakly, "Don't worry about it. Mir and I are okay, and I don't think Athrun will try to bug us for awhile,"

Kira frowned in concern. "What started the fight?"

The younger girl remembered Athrun's words, and clenched her fists. "That blue haired bastard was insulting you, I had to do something-"

Kira placed a hand gingerly on the girl's shoulder. "Cagalli, just ignore what he says, please? I don't want you getting into trouble because of me."

The blonde sighed in frustration. "I don't care about getting in trouble Kira, I won't let him talk like that about you,"

Kira tried to smile, but only managed a fake, weak grin. "Cagalli, thank you. But please, just don't worry about me." The girl nodded reluctantly and smiled softly as her older brother hugged her tenderly as to not disturb his wounds.

* * *

(Next Morning)

"C'mon Cagalli, we have to get going," Kira stated as he waited for his sister in the hallway. The blonde girl hurried out of her room and ran up to him to take her school bag and lunch.

"Thanks Kira," she replied as they began to walk to the front doors.

The brunette smiled, but then stared at her curiously, "Cagalli, where are your shoes?"

The blonde girl chuckled nervously, "Uh, I left them in my closet, I'll just wear my other pair." Kira gave her a strange look, but shrugged it off.

As the two siblings began their walk to their schools, Kira winced and hissed in pain while clutching his arm.

"Kira! Are you all right? You shouldn't come to school today, your wounds might open,"

The boy shook his head. "Uh-uh. I'm coming to school to keep an eye on you. Besides, I have to get my make up work from yesterday." Cagalli frowned in deep concern. She'd seen her brother's cuts that morning and they weren't healing nicely. The skin around them was a raw reddish pink, and his arms had begun to bleed again.

As worried about him as she was, she didn't want him home all day either. Muruta hadn't come home last night, and there was no sign of him that morning. The girl had no clue what his temper would be like, and at least at school Kira would be semi-safe. Cagalli's golden orbs stared up at her brother, and she sighed softly when the school came into view. Kira placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder before he headed over to the high school. "See you later, Cagalli. Stay out of trouble," he warned. The girl nodded and headed towards the stairs that led into the Middle School.

Kira sat down in his seat quickly in Ms. Ramius's classroom and placed his forehead on his stack of books and binders. He was the first student in the classroom because he'd practically flew through the halls and his locker. He even knew he'd never be able to stand a fight with Athrun, Yzak, and Dearka with his wounds. He smirked darkly to himself. '_No one knows that underneath my uniform are these disgusting gashes. Funny how simple clothing can shield their eyes from pain_,' The boy broke out of his thoughts when Ms. Ramius called his name.

"Oh Kira, I'm glad to see you're here today. I missed you yesterday." The boy smiled weakly, trying his best to hide all of the negative thoughts racing through his mind and swimming in his eyes.

"I wasn't feeling well yesterday. But I'm feeling much better today,"

The brown haired woman smiled down at him with a kind face. "I hope so, if you feel faint or anything during class, just let me know."

The boy chuckled softly, "I'm sure there'll be no need for that Ms. Ramius."

The woman nodded and began to turn to walk back to her desk, but caught Kira as his façade fell and all of his thoughts returned to his head. '_Kira_,' the woman thought sadly, wondering what could have the brightest student in her class so, '_Broken_…' she concluded. The other students hurried into the room before the tardy bell rang and Murrue had no time to think more about the lavender eyed boy.

"All right everyone, take out your textbooks and turn to page 523 and read chapters 17 and 18. Afterward, answer the review questions at the end of each chapter. You may start," The students complied with the teacher's commands and began their work. Murrue grinned, seeing all the students were listening to her for once. She sat down at her desk and began to grade the assignments from her other classes.

A knock at the door caused half the students' heads to look up towards the door. Murrue stood and walked over to the thick oak door and opened it to reveal two people. One was the office secretary, and the other was a student she'd never seen before. The secretary whispered a few words to the teacher before stepping back to let the student walk towards the teacher. Ms. Ramius nodded to the secretary and closed the door behind her and the student.

Walking to the front of the class, Murrue clapped her hands once for her student's attention. "Everyone, we have a new student transferring to Kurenai Sakura High School from Azure Ocean High. Her name is," Kira looked up out of curiosity and his eyes widened a bit. He knew half the class, mainly the male half, was now looking towards the new student.

"Lacus Clyne." the girl answered.

Kira stared at her through his bangs so that no one would notice; they'd just think he was still working. The girl, Lacus, had long pink hair down to her waist pulled into a low ponytail. She also wore a double crescent clip in her hair to keep the bangs on the left side out of her face. Her eyes were the clearest, most serene pale blue he'd ever seen. Yet, he still saw a clouded look to them. He recognized it as the look he gained when he looked in the mirror at his scars he'd gained over the years. Her skin was pale but with a healthy glow. She was also wearing the school uniform, which was exactly like Cagalli's.

Kira felt his heart skip a beat when he picked up the conversation between the girl and Ms. Ramius. "Miss Clyne, you may choose any empty desk, but don't think that sitting in the back will let you get away with chatting in my class."

Lacus smiled and pointed towards the desk beside Kira's. "Would it be all right if I sat next to him?" The teacher nodded and Lacus strode over to her seat and set her books down on the desk top. Some groans were mumbled in the classroom, but one look from Murrue sent them all back to work.

Murrue turned back to Lacus and smiled. "Lacus, you can ask Kira what the assignment is, and here's your Social Studies textbook," the woman told her as she handed her a thick book with a brown cover. The girl nodded and turned to Kira and smiled. Kira glanced over at her and gave her a neutral look. Why she chose that seat he had no idea, but he wasn't exactly sure of the girl sitting beside him.

"Hi Kira, so what's the assignment?"

Kira pointed to her textbook and stated, "Page 523 and read chapters 17 and 18. Afterward, answer the review questions at the end of each chapter,"

Lacus nodded with another smile. "Thank you,"

Kira resumed his work and finished the last question for chapter 17 before beginning chapter 18. He curiously glanced over at the girl to see she was already on the second page of the chapter. He began to think of something, and then continued to read his text book. After ten minutes, he finished his paper and looked over to see that Lacus was finishing chapter 18. '_I must be right, she's a coordinator_,' he concluded in his head as he turned his paper in to the teacher.

"Thank you Kira, we didn't really do anything yesterday except review, but you could help me grade these tests from my other classes if you want." Kira smiled and replied a '_Sure'_ before taking the stack and returning to his desk with a red pen and answer sheet. It wasn't irregular for Ms. Ramius to ask him for his help when he finished his work early, so he wasn't at all surprised when the woman gave him the papers.

The bell rang and the students in the Social Studies classroom hurriedly packed their things and rushed out of the classroom. Kira stood and cracked his knuckles to relieve them of their ache before returning the graded stack of papers to his teacher. He was surprised to see that the new student was talking with the older woman. As he placed the papers on the desk, Murrue turned to him and asked, "Kira, would you do me another favor? Since Lacus is new to the school, she needs a guide, and I can only trust you to do the job right, could you do it?" Kira hesitated, but Lacus flashed him another smile, and he reluctantly agreed. The woman smiled and pushed the two towards the door, "All right then, don't be late for your next classes, hurry along now."

Kira turned to Lacus and then averted his gaze to the ground. "May I see your schedule?" The pink haired girl nodded before taking a piece of paper from one of her folders and handing it to him. Kira glanced at it, and his eyes widened. Her schedule was the exact same as his.

"Is there a problem?" she asked as they began walking towards the locker areas.

"No, it's just that you're in all of my classes,"

Lacus giggled softly. "How can that be? Don't tell me you're taking Home Economics?"

Kira looked to the tiled floor and nodded. "Yes, I've been taking it since Middle school," Lacus lost the humorous look on her face and replaced it with a grin.

"That's interesting. Why would a guy be willing to take a class like Home Ec?"

Kira sighed, "It just helps around home."

Lacus still continued to smile as he showed her to her locker which was conveniently only a few lockers away from his.

As Kira waited on Lacus to store her bag in her locker, he felt glares hitting his back. Turning, he widened his eyes and fell backwards as a fist collided with his jaw.

"Kira!" The boy heard Lacus call worriedly as his back collided with the lockers.

"That's for what your sister did yesterday," Kira looked into Dearka's face. He narrowed his eyes when blue hair and green eyes came into his view.

"Hey Azrael, you should of told me about your sister a long time ago. Nice pair of legs for being so young," the boy said, a smirk on his face. Kira stood up straight and clenched his fists.

"You leave her alone. You can push me around, but if you get near her, I swear I'll-"

Yzak grunted. "You'll what? Kill him? From your last experience fighting us, your sister got in the way. Or do you think you actually could have won?"

Kira growled lightly, not liking the situation. _'I can't fight them right now. And they're just provoking me. Damn it_…' The amethyst eyed boy looked back to the floor and sighed. "I'm sorry. My mistake." The brunette said in a low voice before breaking through the crowd that had formed around them.

Athrun felt a small sting of disappointment, and would have gone after the boy, but someone kept him back. Lacus grabbed her books and turned to follow Kira, after glaring icily at Athrun. The green eyed boy widened his eyes a bit when he noticed who she looked like.

Lacus hurried down the hallway, calling Kira's name. She found him heading towards their next class. "Kira, wait!" she called. She hurried towards him and hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Kira, who were those bastards?" she asked curiously. Kira kept his gaze on the red tiles of the floor.

"They were just as you said. That's all." Lacus would have pressed further, but another girl's voice could be heard and she and Kira turned around to find an auburn hared girl coming towards them.

"Kira, wait up will ya?" she called in a friendly tone and stopped in front of them.

"Hey Miriallia," Kira greeted politely. He winced when he saw the black and blue bruise on her left eye. Mir knew he was looking at her bruise, and smiled.

"It doesn't hurt. If anything it gets my blood boiling whenever I see Zala. I'm sorry Cagalli got hurt before I came in,"

Kira frowned. "No, I should apologize. If I'd just gone to school it wouldn't have happened,"

The aqua eyed girl frowned worriedly. "Oh, I almost forgot Kira, what were you sick with yesterday? Is it healthy for you to be back in school?"

Kira pulled out his happy facade and smiled reassuringly. "I just wasn't feeling well. It was probably just from lack of sleep or something," Mir nodded, not buying it.

She saw right through him. The way he held his school bag and books gingerly, trying not to put any weight on his right arm. His posture also seemed to be slack, as if his back stung when he stood up straight. The girl turned to Lacus and just noticed her.

"Oh, you must be that new student I heard about this morning. My name's Miriallia Haww. I'm one of Kira's friends. Who are you?"

Lacus smiled back and held out a hand, "Lacus Clyne, I'm glad to meet you."

Kira looked up, "I'd hate to interrupt, but we're going to be late for class if we don't hurry to the Math room," The girls chuckled nervously and followed Kira to their Math class.

* * *

Cagalli sighed as she sat in her desk, trying to pay attention to her teacher. It seemed every day she had more trouble staying focused on school and not worrying about Kira. Even now she could barely grasp the Percent Proportion lesson the man in the front of the classroom was trying to explain. The blonde sighed again and plunked her chin on the desk top. Shinn had been watching her all period as well. He, Stellar, and Ahmed all began to take notice how she seemed different. Stellar had tried talking to her yesterday about the fight and detention, but Cagalli had kept changing the subject.

At the end of the class, Shinn stood with all his books and binders and waited for Cagalli to grab all hers. When the blonde stood up, he spoke. "Hey Cagalli, you seem a bit flushed today, are you feeling all right?" the black haired boy asked as they exited the room.

The blonde nodded, "Yea, just a bit, tired, I guess…" Shinn didn't seem to buy it, but let the subject drop. Then he rekindled the conversation.

"Hey Cagalli, I was wondering, has Stellar ever said anything about me? You know what I mean, right?"

The golden eyed girl smiled mischievously, "You'll have to ask her yourself."

Shinn frowned, "I can't, not yet anyway…I mean, if she doesn't feel the same way, I could risk losing our friendship. I need a girl's advice on how to approach her!"

Cagalli sighed, "_I'm really not the right person to ask that question…"_ she mumbled to herself silently. Just then, an image of Athrun from yesterday afternoon when he was kissing her flashed in her mind. Without noticing, the blonde girl blushed softly, but also in anger.

Shinn noticed since he was walking right next to her. "Uh, Cagalli? Why are you blushing?"

Cagalli snapped out of her thoughts and grinned, "I'm not blushing, I just remembered something really funny is all,"

Shinn smirked, "I beg to differ. If Stellar, Ahmed, and I know you at all Cags, we'd remember that your ears turn a light shade of pink when you think of something funny. You were thinking about something else, weren't you-"

Cagalli glared at him and shut him up quickly with, "Where's Stellar?" She looked around curiously.

Shinn looked around as well. All four of them always met up by the lockers before going to Science. But Stellar wasn't there yet, and she was always there waiting for them. Shinn looked through the crowd to try and see if he could find Stellar's blonde hair, but only saw other students.

"Maybe she's just taking awhile to get back from Art class?" Cagalli suggested, but both knew that couldn't be the case. Shinn frowned and began walking away from the lockers, and towards the hallway that led to the art room.

"I should go look for her,"

Cagalli ran up beside him. "I'm not going to let you be late alone if worse comes to worse." Shinn nodded and they hurried down the hallway.

* * *

Stellar frowned angrily as the boy kept moving in front of her. She tried to go around him, but he moved in her way again. She'd had enough. "Auel, will you cut it out? I'm going to be late to class!" The powder blue haired boy smirked at the blonde girl, his blue eyes glinting.

"So? What's so bad about being late to class? It won't kill you,"

Stellar growled lightly, Shinn and Cagalli were probably still waiting and would be late if she didn't hurry. "Auel, what do you want?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

The boy smirked and leaned his face closer to the blonde's. "I want this," he mumbled as his lips sprang for hers and caught them in a rough kiss.

The blonde girl widened her eyes and placed her hands on Auel's chest to push him away.

"Get away from her you bastard!" a boy's voice shouted through the hall. The two teens looked up to see Shinn running towards them. Cagalli wasn't far behind. Auel cursed under his breath and turned in the other direction. He smirked at Stellar and whispered, "I'll finish this later," before running off.

Shinn stopped in front of Stellar and Cagalli stopped behind him. "Stellar," Shinn began, but didn't really know what to say or ask from this kind of situation.

The magenta eyed girl smiled softly, "Sorry I kept you two waiting."

The three spent a few uneasy moments just standing there when Cagalli glanced at one of the hallway clocks. Her eyes widened before she exclaimed, "Fuck! We're gonna be late!" Shinn and Stellar gawked at her selected vocabulary, but they too glanced at the clock and cursed. The three students turned on their heels and ran as fast as they could towards their next class.

* * *

Kira, Mir, and Lacus walked out of their Math class at the back of the group of students. Mir and Lacus were talking about something, and he was pretty much just walking between them. He had to admit, walking to the classes he shared with Mir walking beside her did give him an encouraging feeling. And something about the pink haired girl seemed to lift his spirits, yet keep them restrained at the same time. They seemed to feel the exact same feelings when he was around her, as if they were both hiding dark secrets no one could know about. Kira brushed it away from his mind quickly. '_There's no way someone like her could ever have a dark secret, she's just so…**pure**…_' he contemplated in his mind.

As they began walking back to their lockers to retrieve their lunches and put away their books, they passed many students who stopped what they were doing to stare at them. Whispers spread through the crowds, but the three ignored them. Mir glared at the students and tried to remember who to put on her Dark List. But there were too many so she stated silently to herself, '_Note to self: After removing Kira and Lacus from the premises and castrating Athrun and his friends, blow up Kurenai Sakura High…_' The aqua eyed girl pretended a yawn to cover her evil smirk. Kira just kept his eyes fixed to the floor ahead, like always. Lacus was watching Kira, and wondering, '_I wonder why I feel so…so much…pain…when I'm around him?_'

After stopping at their lockers, they began to head towards the cafeteria when they realized they'd taken the faster way to the cafeteria. They were walking through the White Hall. This hallway was where all the juniors and seniors who fell on the privledged family spectrum gathered between classes. The only problem was they all had the fetish for ganging up on the other students, and also always had the teachers on their side because often times their parent was head of a large business or major benefactor of the school. Mir took one look around and felt like gagging.

The students in the hall looked as though they thought themselves the rulers of the world. Kira felt a bit on edge, and his eyes kept straight to the red tiles that seemed much cleaner than the classroom, and other hallway floorings. Lacus felt her breath catch in her throat as she scanned the faces, hoping not to find who she was looking for.

As she glanced over to a large group, Lacus felt her heart freeze up. Her blue eyes widened and she felt as though she couldn't breathe. A girl with long blackish grey hair and reddish eyes turned and her gaze met Lacus's. The girl nudged the tall boy with auburn hair next to her and he glanced over at Lacus. They both smirked and the ash haired girl sent a glare towards the blue eyed girl. Lacus looked away quickly and hurriedly followed Kira and Mir as they made their way towards another hall and ended up taking a much longer way towards the lunch room.

Upon reaching the cafeteria and walking towards the outside doors, Lacus stopped. "Hey, I have to go to the restroom, where should I meet you?"

Mir looked at the girl and noticed she was paler than before and her eyes seemed clouded. "There's a large sakura tree outside, me and Kira will be eating there. You want me to come with you?"

Lacus's eyes widened, "No! I-I mean, I'm sure I can find my way to and back just fine. You two should go ahead and start eating," Before another word was said, the pink haired girl rushed off. Kira and Mir stared after her curiously.

Mir furrowed her brow and looked to Kira, "I'll be right back. You go ahead." The brunette nodded, still a bit dazed by the awkward moments passing by. Mir rushed off to try and find Lacus, and Kira walked out the doors towards the large sakura tree.

'_At least this gives me time to read in peace…_' he thought happily.

* * *

Lacus opened the door to the bathroom and let it swing shut behind her. She listened and heard that no one else was in any of the stalls. She sighed softly and gazed down at her left hand. She walked towards the sink. Her right hand reached for her sleeve, and was about to pull it away from her hand, when the bathroom door opened. She froze and looked up quickly for her blue gaze to meet copper eyes. The ash haired girl stood alone by the door, a smirk on her face. Lacus felt her knees buckle and a tremor quake in her body. The girl walked towards her till she was standing directly in front of Lacus.

She was a bit taller than the pink haired girl, and by far not as pretty as Lacus. Her facial features were disfigured: her eyes too large and her face too long. And her breasts were about ready to snap open the dark red blazer she wore. Her smirk turned into a sneer.

"My Lacus, it's been awhile hasn't it? Just what have you been doing behind my back, more like who've you been doing though,"

Lacus felt her face redden, but all she really wanted to do was get out of there. The blue eyed girl looked to the floor and tried to take a step away from the girl, only for the ash haired girl to reach out and grip Lacus's arm tightly, her fake nails still gripping the younger girl's skin through her blazer.

"What? No greeting? I can't believe I even waste my time with you." The girl pulled Lacus closer to her and up against her chest. If you actually just looked at them, it'd look as though they were embracing, or at least the older girl was embracing the younger one.

Lacus looked everywhere but the girl's face before whispering in a scared voice, "I'm sorry, Meer." (Even though it's apparently spelled Mia, I'm just going to spell it Meer because quite a few people may not know the difference.)

Meer's smirk returned and she loosened her grip on the girl. "That's better. Now, you really should try to spend more time with me. After all, we will be spending a lot more time together." Lacus risked taking a glance at Meer's face, and felt the other girl's lips on her own. Her eyes widened, she wanted to struggle, but knew it would just infuriate the girl and make her take more drastic measures. Meer pulled away and licked her lips, "I really have missed your taste," The girl let go of Lacus and began to exit the bathroom. Lacus shuddered and leaned against the sink, clutching the white ceramic sink bowl to keep her on her feet. Meer opened the bathroom door and was about to walk out, but turned her head and said, "Oh, and Ketsuke's been asking about you _litte sister_." That did it.

As soon as Meer left the bathroom, Lacus doubled over and gave a cry of pain. Reaching down into her school bag, she fumbled around it with her hand till she found what she was looking for. Pulling out a small case about half the size of an index card, she opened it, revealing a very sharp looking razor. Gingerly, she took it into her right hand and pulled her left sleeve away from her wrist. She winced deftly at what she saw. She saw it everyday, and she still wondered why she still winced or grimaced. The many hair-thin, white scar lines that littered her wrist showed that she was careful. She never cut near a vein or to low on her wrist that someone might see it. Lacus took in a sharp breath as she always did before lowering the small blade to her skin and making a quick, yet semi-deep slash.

Crimson blood flowed from the wound and dripped into the sink as it dripped down quickly. Lacus's eyes were cloudy and hazed over as she made another quick slash. She would have made a third, but she resisted the urge and turned the sink on freezing cold. Washing the blade and wiping it clean, she placed it back in the case which she placed back in her bag. Then she rinsed her wrist before taking out a small roll of gauze which she used to tie around the two newest cuts to stop the bleeding. Lacus was about to rinse the sink of the blood, but then the bathroom door opened yet again. The pink haired girl looked up in shock and fear.

Miriallia stood in the entrance to the bathroom. The auburn haired girl walked towards lacus with a relieved smile. "I'm glad I finally found you, I don't want to keep Kira waiting long-" but she didn't finish her sentence when her eyes drifted towards the red on the white ceramic of one of the bathroom sinks. Her eyes widened, and she glanced at Lacus who was looking away from Mir and the blood in and on the sink to her wrist, which pretty much gave Miriallia the whole story. The aqua eyed girl walked closer to the blue eyed girl and frowned worriedly at her.

"Lacus, you-?"

Lacus looked at the floor, the sink, her wrist, just not Miriallia's concerned face. "I suppose you're going to tell a teacher or counselor, right?" the pink haired girl asked bitterly, dreading the words that were about to come from Mir's lips.

But to Lacus's surprise, Mir shook her head slowly. "No, I guess it wouldn't really feel right if I did…"

Lacus gazed at Miriallia curiously, "What do you mean, '_Wouldn't feel right_?'"

Mir sighed and reached over to her right sleeve, and slowly pulled it up. "Because it'd be like cheating myself," Lacus saw the familiar hair-thin scars on Miriallia's wrist, like her own, they all avoided any veins. Mir smiled darkly, "Besides, I know what it feels like to be driven to something like this, only I can control it better now."

Lacus frowned and averted her gaze again. "So, you won't tell anyone?" Mir shook her head, "As long as you keep my secret safe, I'll keep yours."

**Okay, sorry for the long awaited update. I'm sure you're all like, "What the heck just happened?" and "What the heck is this kid thinking? Is she crazy or something?" (I probably am mentally insane) But all this is part of my master plot for this story. And I assure you it won't be changing to any MirxLacus or KiraxAthrun or even more horribly, MeerxLacus…(shudders) But yea, just to let you rest easy and cuz I don't know how to explain it later, Meer is bi, but everyone else is straight. Or at least my main characters are…Also Meer and Lacus are supposed to be step-sisters in my fic (Will explain later).**

Tori101 (Sam)


	5. Scratching the Surface

**For You**

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own Gundam Seed.

Oh wow, I have nothing to talk about in my author's note! Oh well, you don't care, chances are you don't even read these, lol. Anyhoo, just to let you all know, there won't be much serenity for our characters after this chapter. More dark secrets will become uncovered very soon, oh yes, I can't wait…And I feel as if I'm pressing this chapter a bit quickly, but I really want to get into Lacus's story. So deal!

**Chapter 5 Scratching the Surface**

Lacus waved to Mir as the auburn haired girl and Kira began walking towards the Middle school to pick up their younger sisters. She turned and began to cross the street from Kurenai Sakura and turned onto another street. She sighed softly, regretfully, and winced. The scene from the bathroom between her and Meer flashed through her mind. Lacus shuddered and clutched her elbows tightly as she walked.

Lacus averted her eyes from the sidewalk and looked across the street where a playground stood. She recognized an elementary school not too far away, which explained why so many kids were screaming their heads off and having fun on the giant metal plaything. That or the fact that they were all wearing the same school uniforms.

She stopped and stared at the many kids. '_So carefree, they probably think the end of the world is if they can't have ice cream after dinner…_' the girl thought bitterly. One child caught her interest though. A young girl with bright red hair jumped from the swing, but didn't stick the landing. Falling and getting a face full of dirt, the girl sat up and started to whimper. Lacus watched as an older girl wearing a middle school uniform rushed over to the younger child. Lacus noted they both looked alike, and knew they were sisters. Anyone with eyes could see that. The older girl hugged the little one and patted her cheek in a comforting fashion. Lacus looked away and continued walking. But she couldn't escape from the memory that followed.

* * *

A young girl with pink hair down to her shoulders skipped on the sidewalk, happily humming to herself. Behind her, a taller girl with long ash colored hair and copper eyes followed.

"Hey little sister, you better watch where you're going! You might fall-" Her words were said too late and the girl tripped over her own feet. "Lacus!" shouted the older girl as she hurried towards the child. Lacus sat up and clutched her knee tightly.

"It hurts Meer!" she cried painfully. Meer kneeled down in front of her and smiled one of those secret smiles of hers.

"Let me see," Lacus removed her hands to reveal a scrapped knee. The skin was shredded a bit and some red blood was visible beneath, but otherwise it was just a plain old scrape. Meer brushed it lightly with her fingertips. She leaned down and kissed the small girl's knee lightly.

"There, is it starting to feel better?" Meer asked with another of her smiles on her face. Lacus nodded lightly, even though it didn't really feel any better. But kisses always seemed to take away the shock of pain. "Come on, let's go home. I'll make us both a cup of tea and we'll watch a movie, kay?" Meer suggested softly, stroking her sister's hair affectionately. Lacus nodded and stood, holding her older sister's hand.

* * *

Lacus growled at herself and hurriedly began walking again. '_I had such a false sense of security back then,_' she scolded herself. '_I was so naïve, so trusting, so willing to look to the bright side_.' Her blue orbs looked up to the sky where the clouds were clustering together. They held dark greyish hues and she heard thunder rumble from far in the distance. "My clouds never have silver linings…" she mumbled before hurrying off.

* * *

Miriallia and Katie walked quietly down the sidewalk. Mir's arm was around the girl's shoulders and Katie was staring ahead. But the silence was broken when Katie looked up at her sister and asked, "Milly, what do you think of Kira?" Miriallia hesitated, before stopping and standing still.

"I'm not sure. He seems like a really nice person. Maybe, a bit too shy…But he's probably had plenty of problems going to that damn school-" Mir widened her eyes, "Oh, sorry Katie. I shouldn't get bad habits into your system,"

The younger girl sighed. "I don't care, it's not like we haven't heard it before. But I was wondering what you thought of Kira." Mir looked down at her sister.

"Why? What has you so interested in Kira?" Katie looked up into Mir's eyes, and looked down again as they resumed walking.

"Well, I was really wondering about Cagalli. She seemed really out of it today, and Stellar asked her something about Kira, and she seemed to get all tense. For a minute, I thought he might have-" Mir interrupted her sister.

"Hurt her?" Katie nodded, but a confused look clouded her face. Mir sighed, "Well stop worrying. Kira would never hurt a hair on Cagalli's head." Katie felt a wave of relief wash over her. Mir sighed softly as a comfortable silence spread between them.

As they walked, the two girls crossed onto another street, but the difference from the other streets was immediately noticed. The street and everything on it were older. The sidewalk was grayish brown and cracks and chips littered the corners. There were no longer trees with bright green leaves on mounds of fresh mulch with meticulously cared for grass surrounding them. If there was grass, it looked uncut and ugly with brown chipping away at the blades. The lampposts on nearly every corner were weather beaten, rusting, and their paint was peeling. Not to mention practically every one's light bulb was missing or shattered, or at least the glass casing meant to protect it was broken and cracked.

Street signs were faded and had graffiti sprayed all over them, or were just totally missing, leaving holes in the ground where they'd been planted. The houses were looking flabby and about to collapse as well. Most of them anyway. Some still looked like they had enough life left in their frames to last a few more years. Or months, did it really matter? Mir pulled Katie closer to her as they began to cross an intersection. People in baggy clothes and ratty hair loitered around the apartment buildings and small shops that looked as though they were only there to add to the grotesque scene of the back alley development.

After another five minutes, the two sisters were finally walking in a semi-better area. The houses didn't look rat infested and there were actually a few street signs intact. Miriallia and Katie made their way up the drive of a semi-medium sized house with one floor and a front door that looked as though people slammed it open and closed whenever using it. Mir noticed an old, navy colored Monticarlo with a dent on the left door. She turned to Katie and sighed. "Mom's home early, she's probably wasted already so try not to make much noise. Just go to the room and start your homework. I'll start dinner and be there to help you in about twenty minutes, kay?" Katie nodded and rushed inside when Mir opened the door softly and closed it behind her. Looking around the family room that the door opened to, Mir scrunched up her nose in disgust.

The room was a mess. The carpet was old and threadbare and had stains all over it. There was also stale crusts and crumbs and other assorted crap all over the floor. The coffee table a few feet away from the couch looked like it'd seen better days. The once smooth and shiny tabletop was in need of a buff and wax. There were rings from glasses, cups, and mugs on the surface, and old magazines and even an old pizza box sitting on an edge. Mir wondered where it came from as she stepped towards the couch. Her shoes were still on; she didn't take her shoes off unless she was in her and Katie's room. That room was the only decent looking room in the whole house, except for the connected bathroom. It was just common sense to keep bathrooms clean, or else you'd be taking a shower with a big mushroom sitting in the corner of the tub.

An old TV sat on an old twenty five inch tall bookcase that looked ready to break any minute. A few books still lingered on the shelves, and a long dead fern with crinkled blackish brown leaves joined them on a shelf. There was also a chair with a hand stitched mend on the arm where it'd ripped open.

The auburn haired girl stopped in front of a beat up old couch and glowered at the figure that appeared to be sleeping. The figure was a woman with ratty, greasy auburn hair down to her shoulders. It was in desperate need of a cut, and in desperate need to be washed…fifty times with a sea urchin as a sponge. Her clothes consisted of an old, baggy, dark blue sweat shirt with a black turtle neck underneath. The woman's pants were old jeans with fading knees. They seemed to barely grip the woman's malnourished frame.

Miriallia sighed and shook the woman's shoulder. "Mom? Mom? Lisa!" She half shouted to wake up the dazed woman.

Mir grunted as the woman's green eyes flashed open, then closed till her lids were half open.

"Oh, Milly…you're, home…" she slurred as she groaned and raised a hand to her throbbing fore head.

"Mom, you weren't fired today, were you?" the girl asked with a bit of concern. Her mother had been drifting from job to job lately, and it seemed to be more frequent she could barely work enough to get a paycheck. The woman opened her fingers and looked up at Miriallia.

"Milly, I didn't like that job. Don't worry, tomorrow I'll find another. Don't worry about it. Now go, I need to sleep…"

Miriallia summed up all the strength she had not to reach out, grab her mother by the shoulders, and shake her till some sense entered her hazy mind and scream at her that she was a worthless bitch, a useless scumbag, a mindless woman, or even worse but true, a terrible-no the worst- mother ever.

But her strength was enough and instead she trudged into the kitchen and dropped her school bag on the old and yellowing tiles on the floor. She opened the fridge and took out the leftovers from the night before and placed them on the counter. Then walking towards the pantry, she pulled out a loaf of bread and set that on the counter as well. Cold chicken sandwiches were better then fast food or no food at all for dinner.

Katie looked up from her math book when her older sister finally stepped into their room. It wasn't a large room, but not that small. It was large enough to fit two beds, one dresser, a homework desk for Mir, and a computer desk. There was a nightstand under the single window in their room that separated the beds. An alarm clock and lamp sat on it. The room was actually quite clean compared to the rest of the room. The walls were a light pink, and the carpet was a light tan and still intact. The larger bed, Mir's bed, had an orange comforter and orange pillow, whereas the smaller bed had a purple comforter and purple pillow. Nothing sat on Mir's pillow, but a white stuffed cat with a purple bow around its neck sat on the purple pillow. The curtains in the room were a light pink that was a shade darker than the walls, and was blowing softly signaling that the window was open.

Mir dropped her bag onto her bed and pulled out her books to take to her desk. She glanced at her sister and asked, "Do you need any help?"

Katie looked up from an equation and smiled, "No, I've got this covered," a soft mew from a cat caused Katie to look down in her lap where a light orange tabby cat with grass green eyes lay. It purred as the girl stroked its head and scratched beneath its ears. "Besides, if I need help I'll just ask Amber here. Amber's a smart kitty, aren't you? You're a smart girl," Katie cooed in a small voice as she ruffled the cat's fur around its face. Mir rolled her eyes with a grin on her face and she sat down to start her homework. Two pages of Trigonometry, oh joy.

* * *

Lacus opened the doors to a large house, okay mansion, and slipped inside quietly. Looking around, she relaxed, realizing that no one appeared to be waiting for her. She began walking towards a large staircase and quickly walked up the carpeted steps. After reaching the top, she took a left in the hallway and went to the very last room on the end of the hallway. Opening the door, she took a deep breath. Entering the room, she closed the door behind her and dropped her bag on her floor.

Sighing, she walked towards her bed and collapsed on the soft mattress, burying her face in her pillows. She rolled over on her back and reached up to her neck to loosen her tie. Taking the tie off completely and dropping it on her nightstand, she sat up and eased her blazer off her shoulders. Having removed those articles of clothing, Lacus sighed again and fell back onto her bed. Her hands spread out over the bed and her eyes gazed up at the ceiling.

She stared for about five minutes, but then she sat up and glanced at her school bag. She had science homework she never finished in study hall. Getting up from her bed, she walked over to her school bag and lifted it before carrying it over to her desk and dumping out its contents. Along with her books and binders, the small plastic case fell from the bottom of the bag. Lacus glanced down at it guiltily and grabbed it in her hand before opening a drawer and dropping it in. The girl then sat at her desk and cracked open her science textbook and flipped to page 365. She should have focused on the assignment, but she couldn't help but look up and gaze around her room. '_My room…_' she thought neutrally.

It hadn't changed really. The walls were still light blue, almost white. The carpet was still a dark navy color. Her furniture was still a dark pine wood. Her four poster bed still had dark blue pillows. Her comforter was still midnight blue, and the sheets beneath it were still white. The curtains around her bed were still that translucent midnight blue. The French doors that connected to her balcony still had the translucent blue violet curtains. Her windows still had the opaque blue violet curtains. But it didn't feel like her room. It could never feel like her room again. Taking another glance around her dark room, the only light coming in from the windows that made the room look as though orange walls were cutting it into her room, she winced slightly. "I hate blue…"

Looking towards her door with wide eyes, Lacus tensed her body. Sounds were coming from the hallway. She felt her fingers tighten around her pencil as the sounds grew closer, but then felt the rush of fear subside as the noises moved away and a door closed. The girl sighed and leaned back in her chair. '_It was only_ her, _there's nothing to be afraid of. It was only_ her_…wasn't it?_' The girl contemplated in her head worriedly. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, Lacus stood and shook her right hand. Her homework was finished, and she didn't have anything else to do. '_I need to relax…_' she thought to herself, trying to calm her worried mind. Walking towards her closet, she grabbed opened the door and pulled out her bathrobe before closing the door and walking towards her bathroom. What better way to calm yourself than a hot bath?

Turning off the water faucets, Lacus took a deep breath of the hot, steamy air. Looking towards the large mirror above the sink, she smiled almost happily. The glass was steamed over, making her image cloudy. Something about not being able to see the image clearly made her feel…happy. As if the foggy images made everything so much better. And then when you wiped away at the mirror, the sharp, clear reality hit you. Looking away, Lacus eased off her black collared shirt and slid her dark red skirt off before removing her socks. She stood in nothing but her bra and underwear, and she removed those as well before stepping into the water filled bathtub. She sat down and let the hot water rush over her body. Her skin tingled as the hot water made contact with it. It stung for a quick moment before easing into a dull tingle. The steamy air made breathing a bit difficult, but the girl didn't care.

As she raised her hand, it brushed against her leg and she remembered the bandage. Lifting it out of the water quickly, she removed the now soaked gauze and placed it on the side of the tub. Getting into a more comfortable position in the water, Lacus was able to rest her head against a folded washcloth on the side of the tub and her knees rose out of the water. She inspected her left wrist with uncaring eyes as they swept over the white scars and the bright red lines of her latest cuts. Lifting her right hand, she raised it to her wrist and with two fingers position on the skin on the sides of a cut, she roughly pushed into her skin away from the cut, stretching it and causing a painful sting to rush through her body. The girl lowered both hands underwater while still holding the cut open to allow the hot water to rush into it. She was satisfied and stopped holding the cut open when the pain dulled down to a small sting. Then she lifted her hands out of the water to do the same with the second cut. This one hurt more and Lacus peered at it more closely.

"I must have cut too deep with this one. It'll leave a scar for sure. I better remember to put disinfectant in it before bed," she stated to herself quietly, as though she were stating orders for someone to write down.

Falling back against the tub and closing her eyes, she sighed. The hot water felt great on her skin, and the warm air around her was making her drowsy. Before she knew it, sleep overcame her and her thoughts disappeared.

* * *

Mir looked up from her homework and sighed in relief, she was finally done with trigonometry…for now. Glancing over at Katie, Mir grinned seeing her little sister engrossed in a book while reading on her stomach with the cat curled up beside her. When the younger girl turned the page, she also gave the creature beside her a scratch behind the ears. Mir stood from her chair and walked towards the dresser. Opening the third drawer, she pulled out an orange t-shirt and opening the fourth drawer, she pulled out a pair of athletic shorts.

"I can't believe I forgot to change out of my uniform! How stupid can I get?"

Katie looked up and grinned, "Not much."

Mir turned and pretended to be angry. "Why you little!" She cried before rushing towards the girl and grabbing her by the arms and flipping her onto her back.

Amber hissed before jumping off the bed and scampering underneath Mir's bed. Meanwhile, Miriallia began tickling her sister. Katie giggled and laughed loudly as Mir's fingers tickled her sides, neck, and underneath her knees.

"Care to take back what you said you little jerk?" Mir asked as she grinned widely.

Katie answered, "Never!" between giggles.

Mir laughed, "Then I'll just keep tickling you till you take it back!" Katie giggled again, but then began couching. Mir immediately let go of her and brought her up into a sitting position. Patting her back lightly, Mir stared worriedly at the younger girl. "Katie, are you all right?" Mir asked quickly. Katie nodded, but Mir turned away from her and reached towards the nightstand.

Opening the small drawer quickly, she reached in and fumbled around till she removed her hand holding two things. A syringe in a plastic casing, and a small plastic bottle with a prescription label on it. Opening the small case, Mir pulled the syringe out and undid another casing around the needle before opening the bottle and stabbing the needle into a rubber like cap that kept a liquid inside of the bottle and provided needles a clean passage. Pulling on the syringe till a light reddish liquid filled the tube ¼ of the way, Mir then removed the needle from the bottle and tapped it, making sure no air bubbles had snuck in. After checking the syringe, she then turned back to Katie who'd already remover her blazer and held her arm out to her sister. She hadn't stopped coughing and was trembling now; her skin also looked pale and flushed. Mir took her sister's arm and inspected the inside of her arm above the elbow till she found the right spot before sinking in the needle and injecting the medication into her body. The younger girl winced and tried to keep still as Mir gave her the injection.

After a few moments, her couching spasm passed and Katie took a deep breath.

"Thank you Milly," she breathed quietly as Mir took out a cotton pad and rubbing alcohol.

Dripping a few drops of the rubbing alcohol onto the pad, she rubbed it over Katie's skin where she'd given her the injection. As Katie blew on the wet spot, Mir dropped the used syringe and cotton pad in the small trash bin beside Katie's bed. Other used syringes and cotton pads lay at the bottom of the bin.

"Katie, are you okay? Not dizzy or anything? Can you breathe all right?" Mir asked in a serious voice, her aqua eyes staring straight into Katie's similar eyes. The girl nodded.

"Yea, I'm okay now Milly. Thank you, I'm sorry."

Miriallia smiled and ruffled the girl's hair. "There's nothing to be sorry about. C'mon, change out of your uniform and we'll go eat dinner."

Katie nodded and walked towards the dresser and opened two drawers to pull out a jade turtleneck and dark green shorts. Katie walked into the bathroom to change while Mir stripped down to her bra and underwear before dressing in her casual clothes. As a finishing touch, she took a pair of fingerless gloves and slipped them on. They were white so they matched with all her clothes, but she only wore them when she wore shirts without sleeves so that no one could see the remnants of her scars.

Katie walked out of the bathroom with her uniform in her hands. Amber snuck out from under Mir's bed and trotted over to Katie and rubbed against the girl's ankles. Katie made a soft noise with her tongue before reaching down to stroke the cat quickly before placing her school clothes on her bed and following Mir out the door; Amber chasing after their heels. AS the two sisters walked down the hallway, Katie grabbed Mir's hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Thank you Milly. Thanks for always taking care of me," Miriallia looked down at her sister and smiled warmly, understanding what her sister meant. The older girl reached down and ruffled the smaller girl's hair.

"It's my honor, my Little Princess." Katie giggled at the familiar nickname. A crash from the living room broke them out of their moment and Katie shuddered. "_He's_ home," Mir whispered warningly to the small girl.

* * *

Waking slowly, it took her a moment to realize where she was. But after feeling semi-cold water swirl against her skin, Lacus sat up straight and remembered she was taking a bath. '_I must have fallen asleep,_' she thought stupidly to herself. She could have drowned herself. '_How careless can I really get!_' she scolded angrily to herself as she lifted herself out of the water and stepped onto the cold bathroom tiles. Reaching over to the ledge beside the tub, she grabbed a towel and began drying herself so the cool air wouldn't freeze her to insanity. '_Oh wait, I passed that a long time ago_,' she mused with a smirk on her face.

After drying off, Lacus quickly towel-dried her hair till it wasn't dripping with water anymore, and then placed the towel on the sink ledge. She reached over and grabbed the bathrobe next to her towel and slipped it on over her shoulders and tied the sash around her waist loosely. She ran a hand trough her semi-wet hair as she opened the bathroom door to her room.

It was dark in the room, and the moonlight streaming through the cracks in the curtains wasn't strong enough to provide any light in the room. The light from the bathroom doorway spread across her floor and created an uneven rectangle of light on the dark blue carpet. Her shadow stepped out of the light as she walked away from the bathroom door towards a vanity with a large, half circle mirror. Pulling out the chair and sitting down, she reached forward and clicked on a small lamp sitting on the edge of the vanity desk. The shaded light illuminated the room with a warm glow and lit the mirror up with a sharp image of the girl sitting in front of it.

Lacus frowned at her image, but not in a vain way. In a jealous way. '_I can't believe I'm jealous of my own reflection_,' she stated to herself.

Opening a small drawer, she pulled out a brush and began to make long strokes through her pink hair. '_Then again, my reflection doesn't have to go through everyday of my life. She doesn't have to see _her_ everyday. She doesn't have to think about _him.'

As Lacus was busy arguing with herself, she didn't notice her bedroom door opening slowly till someone shut it once again, but from the inside. The dropped her brush and it clattered loudly on the vanity desk. She could see the figure of a tall boy with short, scruffy auburn hair. His eyes were a dark forest green, but they held a shine to them that caused shivers to run down your spine if you looked straight into them. Lacus knew that feeling all too well.

The boy began walking towards her and didn't stop till he was standing behind the chair. He smirked at her reflection in the mirror, his lips seemed as though whispering a spell as he lowered his face till his lips were floating next to her ear.

He planted his hands firmly on her shoulders before whispering in her ear, "I've missed you Lacus,"

Though the girl tried to keep a straight face, she couldn't mask the fear building in her chest.

* * *

Katie followed Mir into the family room which was where the noise had come from. Mir stood protectively in front of her sister as she surveyed the scene before her. Her mother was standing and looked as though someone had slapped her in the face. Closer towards the door, a tall man stood, an angry look on his face. He was in his mid thirties but his face looked young. His skin was a bit tan, and his hair was a dark umber. But his eyes were a bright amber color. His chin showed five o'clock shadow but it was intentional. He wore a navy long sleeved shirt under a black jean jacket and his pants were a light tan color. He was actually an attractive man, but the look on his face made him look frightening.

Oblivious to the two girls standing in the hallway, he began shouting at the woman Miriallia and Katie had to call Mom.

"I can't take it anymore Lisa! You seem to think that you don't have to do anything! You got fired from another job? That is the third one in two months! What is going through that head of yours!"

The woman shook her head and lifted a hand to her forehead and rubbed her temples. "Please Ray, I…I can't take this right now-"

The man, Ray, widened his eyes angrily. "What? What did you say? You can't take this right now? _You poor thing, since you're so pathetic you get sloshed every night and have these god damned constant hangovers. I should just leave you alone till you're feeling better_-**Lisa**! You have two kids that should be depending on you! You can't hold a job more than a few weeks and barely get paid, and your daughter is out nearly every night working at some damned store! At least she can hold a job! If it wasn't for me, where would you be? Answer me Lisa!" Mir looked from Ray to her mother, then back to Ray.

Lisa groaned and trembled, "Ray, stop it!"

Mir widened her eyes as Ray began walking towards Lisa, raising his hand. She didn't know why, probably because she was used to doing the right thing, but she moved herself in front of her sad excuse of a mother and took Ray's blow. His hand had smacked her hard enough to send her crashing to the floor, and hit the coffee table; knocking the said table over on its side. Ray had a surprised look on his face as he stared down at Miriallia. Lisa had a confused look on her face, and Katie was trembling in the hallway. Mir sat up and glared at Lisa, then Ray. Ray seemed to break out of his anger-induced trance and tried to reach a hand down to help the auburn haired girl up. Mir ignored the helping hand and got up and walked over to Katie.

"C'mon Katie, you have to eat dinner." Katie nodded and walked with Mir to the kitchen, both ignoring the adults in the family room.

* * *

Lacus felt her stomach tie into knots as the boy's hands slipped lower than her shoulders and rested on her chest. Her breath came in fast, uneven breathes that didn't leave her much air. Her hands were trembling slightly, and she realized just how easy it would be for the boy to rip of her robe. He set his chin down on her shoulder and sighed.

"You know, I really have missed you. You just disappeared that summer," His words brought back memories that Lacus had tried to ignore, and she felt her fears burn into anger.

Her trembling hands stopped shaking, and her eyes burned with anger. She stood up quickly, forcing the boy to back off of her uneasily. She glared at him as he smirked at her. "Get out." she ordered quietly; her hands clenched and her nails digging into her wrists.

"Lacus, why do you want me gone so soon?" He asked with a smirk on his face as he stepped closer to her and his arms slipped around her waist. Lacus pressed her hands against his chest, trying to push him away.

"Don't touch me Ketsuke!" The girl ordered angrily. She broke out of his grip and took a step back. Ketsuke smirked at her and walked back up to her.

"Now Lacus, I know you don't want me to leave yet," he whispered lustfully into her ear. The girl was about to push away again, but Ketsuke grabbed her wrists and pulled her closer to him, pressing her against his chest. He leaned forward and crushed his lips on hers. Lacus couldn't help but think of Meer's kiss in the bathroom. But Ketsuke then pulled away after only a few moments and let go of her, pushing her to the floor.

Looking down at the girl on the floor, Ketsuke smirked at her. "I wouldn't want to spoil my fun. I'll have to wait a bit longer. I'll be back, _dearest_."

Lacus watched as the boy made his way out of her room finally. She got up after a few moments, and ran a hand over her forehead through her bangs. She wasn't surprised that a thin layer of cold perspiration covered her forehead. '_I'm lucky. But not by much. He could have, no; he wouldn't try it again, would he?_' A realization dawned on her cruelly.

"There would be no one to run to this time," She said to herself barely above a whisper.

The girl got up and walked over to her large, walk in closet deftly. She slipped her robe off and hung it on its hook nailed into the wall. Then she reached towards a hangar and pulled down a silky light blue night gown. It was a spaghetti strap dress that reached down to her knees. She slipped it over her head and pulled her hair out of the back. After changing, she left her walk in closet, she strode across her room and walked into her bathroom again. Walking towards the sink counter, Lacus opened the side mirror that was really the door to a small medicine cabinet. A few things were in the cabinet, extra gauze, disinfectant, two other plastic cases much like the one she'd placed in her desk drawer, various medicines for colds or sore throats, and also three bottles of over the counter pills. She reached for the largest of the three bottles and unscrewed the cap. Tilting the bottle, three white pills fell into her palm. She picked one and placed it back in the bottle before popping the two pills in her mouth and swallowed them quickly.

After leaving her bathroom, Lacus surprised herself and left her room. Walking through the hallway and passing the staircase, she made her way down the right hall. She stopped when she was two feet away from a slightly open door. She sighed hesitantly and closed the distance between her and the door. Peeking into the slit of the open door, she narrowed her eyes in disgust.

She didn't bother looking around her sister's room, only looked towards the bed. Meer lay sleeping on her bed. To Lacus's disgust, bare naked. Lacus guessed her and Ketsuke had been "studying" together for the past few hours. Turning around quickly, Lacus hurried back to her room. Just as she was about to walk into her simple sanctuary, she groaned and leaned against the doorway; her fingers rubbing her temples to try and stifle a headache.

"Thank God those sleeping pills work fast," she groaned as she stumbled into her room. She barely made it to her desk to turn out the light and then make it to her bed before collapsing onto the soft sheets. Slipping under the white and blue blankets, Lacus settled her head on her pillow, and closed her eyes. The girl made sure she wasn't sleeping on the left side of her bed. Old habbit...or something far less innocent.

* * *

After making sure Katie was asleep, Mir left their room and walked down the hallway and then turned into the kitchen. She wanted to get a glass of water before she finally went to bed. What surprised her was that Ray was sitting at the kitchen table. A far away look was in his eyes, and he seemed to be holding something in his hands, even though nothing was in them. Mir walked over to the table with a glass of water in her hands. She sat down quietly and waited for the older man to take notice of her. Ray's amber eyes flickered over to her, and his lips tried to curl up into an apologetic smile.

"Miriallia, I'm sorry, about earlier. I should've controlled myself."

Mir nodded. "It's all right. You were angry. I'm angry, and we have every right to be angry. But hitting my mother wasn't going to help anyone."

Ray looked thoughtful for a moment before sighing. "Miriallia, I don't know how you deal with all of this chaos, and still take care of Katie."

Mir knew what he meant, and felt a small ounce of pride fill her stomach.

Ray sighed and stared down into the worn wood of the tabletop. "I can't believe Lisa lost that job. She's skipping through jobs as if it's nothing. And now she's wasted everyday. I have to tell you Milly, you really are a hard worker. You try so hard to make things better for your sister. Your mother used to be like that, but now…" The man left his sentence to hang in the air. Mir nodded, and stared into her now half full glass of water.

"Ray, you've really helped us too. If you weren't Lisa's boyfriend, I have no idea where we would be. All I can say is thank you,"

Ray looked at the younger girl sitting next to him, and smiled softly. "I'm sure your mother will get better soon. She'll be the woman we loved in no time. But I think what's wrong with her is that she feels insecure, or inferior. She's seemed distant lately, and if you really pay attention to her, you'd realize she acts like a child. And having to deal with her, this house, and Katie's medical bills…"

Mir finished for him, "We'll be working extra hours. I have to go to bed. Otherwise I'll be useless tomorrow. Night Ray," she concluded quickly, feeling the relieving fingers of sleep beckoning her to go to bed.

* * *

As the sun slowly dawned, the light shined unto the clouds flying overhead. One cloud reflected the sun's light just right and a faint silver line appeared on its edges. Too bad neither Lacus nor Miriallia could notice it.

**Okay, another chapter done, and a very confusing one at that. I know there's a lot of confusing pieces in here, and there wasn't nearly as much Kira as I want, more like _no_ Kira, lol. But anyhoo, I'll make sure Kira will be my center piece of attention next chapter. And because of the late hour, I must wrap this up short!**

Sam


	6. Memory Box

**For You **

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own Gundam Seed, or **Pale Repetition** by **Masakazu Morita**.

Okay, do you people only care about Kira? Didn't you read what was going on in chapter 5? Ugh…whatever, I'll make you all happy and give you Kira in this chapter. But I'm warning you all…

…

Sooo sorry for the late update! I've been really busy what with Summer Vacation finally here! Unfortunately, I have to go to New York in July for two weeks, and then my friend I haven't seen in a long time will be coming to live with me for the last week of July. I probably won't have any time to update, but will try to type. I'll work really hard in August though, PROMISE!

…Oh! Before I forget, **Ultimate Coordinator Berserker**, I would use that idea, but it wouldn't fit for what I have planned in future chapters. And also, I've started working on my new story, **Angelic Warriors,** and I promise that it'll be a hit! Just like **Strike Samurai**, only it won't have a sequel. And I must say, **WOW!** **Shadow Chaser** reviewed one of my stories! Yay! You're the reason I joined this site! And yes, I was known as **Birdie101**, but I had to change my username so my parents couldn't find out about my latest…_dive_ in story telling… (Cough…M, dark, morbid, smut…Cough) If my parents knew I wrote M stories, I'd be grounded for the rest of my life! Not to mention they'd send me to therapy or something and never let me on the computer again…And **strike001** has been antsy. Actually counting how long I haven't updated? (Eyes get all teary) I can't believe I have such devoted readers! I love you all! (Looks around and blushes in embarrassment) Heheheheheheh…

_Anyway_…enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 6 Memory Box **

Kira lay wide awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Azrael hadn't come home yet, but that was just fine by him. Rolling over on his right side, he winced and lay on his back again, clutching his arm. He glanced down at his flesh and saw the pink cuts and gashes littering his arm. They were healing, but much too slowly for his liking. He pulled his hand away from his arm and laid it behind his head.

Since he was wide awake, he couldn't help but let the memories come back to him. From before the accident, from before his life became a living hell. The memories were mainly of his parents, his mother mostly, but some were just of him and Cagalli happy. Truly happy, not the fake charade they had to put on everyday to fool everyone.

_A woman with long violet hair down past her shoulders sat on a lawn chair with a magazine in her lap, watching her two children play. One was a boy with short brown hair and amethyst eyes who looked around six, and the other was a little girl with short blonde hair and golden eyes who looked to be around four or five. They were playing tag, and the girl was 'It.' The boy was purposefully running slowly so his sister could catch up to him and tag him. _

_Watching the two kids playing brought a kind smile to the woman's face, and she flipped a page in her magazine before lifting it up and reading one of the articles. The woman smirked when she sensed the two kids standing in front of her waiting for her to put the magazine down. She chuckled, "All right you two, what is it-?" She cut herself off and widened her eyes in surprise when she put down her magazine to look straight into the large, dark green eyes of a large caterpillar. She yelped and stumbled out of the lawn chair, falling onto the soft grass. The two kids were laughing crazily and clutching their stomachs as the caterpillar slinked away. The woman swallowed her shock and began laughing too, the situation was quite funny. _

Kira sighed and held up his left hand. He clenched and unclenched it, he felt his fingers pulsing blood through their veins, but felt as though there was nothing running through them. He remembered that day so clearly. He could still feel the warmth from the sun; still hear the sound of his mother's laughter. He could still hear the soft sound of his little sister's innocent laughter. He missed that sound…

_The rain was hammering the windows, rattling the glass in its pane and threatening to shatter it. Another flash of lightning lit up the room and a loud clap of thunder boomed through the house. The blonde girl cowering in her bed under the covers bit into her pillow to keep her screams from leaving her lips. Someone opened her door and closed it again. Footsteps crossed the carpeted floor, and someone crawled onto her bed and sat beside her. A hand lifted the sheet to reveal the small girl, and the person smiled. "Maybe giving us separate rooms wasn't one of Mom and Dad's smartest ideas, huh Cagalli?" The girl nodded and the boy sat next to her, the blankets sitting around their shoulders. "I hate storms…" Cagalli complained fearfully. Kira hugged his sister in a brotherly way. "Don't worry, it'll be over soon." She nodded, believing him. She knew that, but it didn't seem like a reality. _

_Kira continued to talk to the girl, to get her mind off of the storm. He found the easiest way would be to tell her a story. He'd read a book of Greek myths not too long ago, and could clearly remember the tale about why the Greek gods created storms. "Cagalli, you should try and get to sleep. If you fall asleep the storm will pass right over." The blonde girl shook her head and clutched her brother's shirt tightly in her small hands. "I can't, I don't want to!" Kira sighed and clutched his sister in a loving embrace. "I can't believe I'm doing this, but how about I sing you a lullaby?" Cagalli peeked up at her brother and grinned, "All right," Kira sighed and mentally kicked himself for what he was about to do, and her waited till a clash of thunder sounded before beginning the song. _

_"_Tsunaida te boku wo yobu koe, hoho wo nada suri nukete iku Ima to iu hi ga kizu wo oi kurikaesu, Shiranai uchi ni netsu wo obite… Kanashimi mo yorokobi mo kioku sae nemuri ni tsuku, Yasashikute azayakana iro ao no melody wo komoriuta ni-" _Kira stopped when he heard the girl in his arms breath deeply. Looking down, he found she was sleeping soundly, cuddled against his chest for comfort. The boy smiled and leaned against the headboard of the bed. He closed his eyes and slipped into sleep, a serene smile gracing his lips. _

The teenage boy smiled to himself at the fond memory. Cagalli was still afraid of storms occasionally, but she usually snuck into his room and slept beside him. It was the loud noise of thunder and nearly unpredictable flash of lightning that scared her. But hey, it scared everybody at one point. Tonight was a pretty nice night, though it was cloudy.

The boy rolled over onto his other side and sighed in annoyance. Sleep was a fickle mistress, and tonight she just wasn't showing up. Rolling back on his back, Kira glared up at the ceiling. He'd stared at that ceiling for so many years, and he was sick of it. Kira sat up once again and stepped out of bed. Walking towards his closet, he opened the doors and kneeled down. Reaching to the back and pulling out a small shoe box, he sat down cross legged and lifted the lid of the box.

Inside the box, it was nearly filled with snapshots, pictures, and small mementos. It was a Memory Box. He'd put a lot of things in the small three dimensional figure that meant life to him. Pictures of his family, old friends, pets, even places he'd been. When he was seven, he'd been given a digital camera for his birthday and took it everywhere with him, taking pictures of everything.

Reaching for the top picture in the huge pile, Kira smiled sadly. It was a picture of his mother and Cagalli asleep on the couch. They were curled up in a red blanket and Cagalli was sleeping on his mother's chest. She was only five then, and she made the cutest face when she slept. _'She still does,' _he thought to himself as he lifted a handful of pictures. He flipped through them slowly, smiling and grinning at every one. Most where family shots: his mother and father, Cagalli, his parents and Cagalli.

Three had him in it. His mother had taken two of them. One was with Cagalli, and one was just him. The third he had taken by holding the camera at arm's length. He was holding Cagalli's shoulders with one arm while she hugged him tightly. They were both smiling widely. As Kira put these pictures back in the box, his hand brushed aside a picture and showed the picture beneath it. As the boy curiously pulled the picture up, he felt a wave of sadness wash over him.

The picture had been taken by someone else…at a funeral service for his parents. It showed him and Cagalli standing at the grave site. Cagalli had actually worn a black skirt and blouse without any argument whatsoever. He was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and black pants. His black blazer was around his sister's shoulders because she was cold. Kira was wearing a thin black tie, and his eyes were cold and blank. That one picture brought back the memory of the funeral, and it made his stomach do flip flops.

_Cagalli tried to keep silent, but her sobs and tears couldn't be stopped. She was leaning on her brother desperately and clutching his hand so tightly, her knuckles were white. She buried her face in his chest as sobs racked through her body. Kira only let thin streams of tears slip down his cheeks. He wanted to fall down to his knees and sob uncontrollably, but he had to be strong for Cagalli. If he couldn't be her tree to lean on, who would? _

_Cagalli looked up at her brother and sniffled as he glanced down at her. Her bottom lip trembled and she buried her face in his chest once again. Kira looked down at his sister in sadness. He was her rock now; he would keep her down to earth. But, who would be his rock?… _

_The rain was cold and chilling, and the violet clouds made the area around them so dark, it could have been mistaken for the night. Kira shrugged off his black blazer and wrapped it around his sister's shoulders. She didn't stop shaking though, so he wrapped his arms around her. _

_Two hours after the service, the two children still stood beside the fresh graves of their parents. They were freezing, wet, hungry, scared, and alone. A woman wearing a dark grey suit walked over to them and spoke soft words to them, mainly Kira because he had made it clear at the Hospital he wanted to know everything that was going on. The woman, their parent's friend and their social worker, had thought he wouldn't understand what was going on. But she was surprised what Kira knew about his parents. _

_The woman tried to smile, but she just couldn't. "Kira, I need to talk to you." The boy gave her a look that frightened her. "About where you and Cagalli are going to live. You see, your parents didn't state any Guardian in their will, and neither have any relatives we know of." Kira still gave her the frightening look, and said in a dark voice that matched his look, "I'm aware of that. And now you're going to tell me in sugarcoated words that my sister and I are now wards of the state. And even though it's now obvious, you'll avoid saying that there is no one who specifically wants us and that we'll be sent to a foster home." The woman flinched, her eyes wide. She was quite surprised the young eight year old knew this information. _

_She sighed and nodded, "Yes. But Kira, because of this situation, and the fact that there are so few foster homes available in this area, you and your sister-" Kira interrupted. "May in most cases become separated? Yes Miss Amalfi, I'm aware of the situation. And I don't care if you can't find a foster home looking for two children, you're not separating my sister and I." The woman sighed and smiled softly, apologetically, at the two children. "Kira, I'll do what I can, but I can't guarantee that it'll be possible to keep you and your sister together…" Kira narrowed his eyes. "Then you better try hard." That was when Kira pulled Cagalli along with him towards Miss Amalfi's car. Watching the two siblings wait for her by the car, she couldn't help but smile in self stupidity. "I wonder if I'll regret this?' she wondered as she walked towards the waiting car. _

Kira sighed and placed the picture back, but then he searched the box till he found another certain photo. Lifting it, he smiled down at the four smiling faces in the photo. It was of Cagalli, himself, a boy around Cagalli's age with light green hair and Miss Amalfi. She had decided to be the foster parent of Kira and Cagalli until a more permanent home could be found. She had a seven year old son named Nicol. He was an only child and had been ecstatic to learn he would have Kira and Cagalli as foster siblings, if only for a short while. But that short while had turned into three years, and in that time, Kira and Cagalli had healed from losing their parents.

The brunette sighed and put the picture back in the box and dug around till he found another handful of pictures. They were pictures from Cagalli's ninth birthday party. (FYI: Kira and Cagalli don't have the same birthday) He flipped through some pictures, but stopped at one. The picture brought a laughing grin to his face. It showed Cagalli and Nicol sitting on swings, and Nicol was leaning over and kissing her cheek. Cagalli was blushing in embarrassment, but didn't have a look of anger on her face. That is till he flipped to the photo beneath it where she was glancing his way. He flipped to the next photo to show a worm's eye view of Cagalli with an angry look on her face. Kira chuckled quietly. '_Oh the memories this brings back_…' he thought to himself with a smirk.

_Kira snuck closer towards the park where he'd seen Nicol take his sister for a walk. He wasn't invited, but he was Cagalli's older brother, it was his duty to follow her. He'd brought along his camera as well. He hid behind a large oak tree that would give him a good spot to spy on them, and readied his camera by first getting the lens to zoom in. Then he prepared to snap the shot. _

_He caught tidbits of their conversation, but didn't really understand what was being said. All he got was 'Present', 'I like-', and 'Here…' But his visual didn't fool him. He watched as Nicol whispered something in the blonde girl's ear and her cheeks become instantly cherry red. Then the hazel eyed boy leaned in and kissed her cheek lightly. Kira snapped the picture in surprise, but he'd forgot to turn the flash off, and Cagalli saw him easily. "Kira, you jerk!" she shouted in embarrassment and shot off the swing towards him. _

_With a swift tackle to the stomach, her brother was down, only he still had is camera on. And as he hit the ground, he hit the button. Cagalli glared down at her brother, but then widened her eyes in horror and pressed her skirt against her knees, a dark red blush on her cheeks. "Kira, you pervert!" she screamed angrily as Kira cracked up laughing. Nicol came running over and questioned what was going on. Kira held up his digital camera and Nicol glanced at the recent picture, before mumbling, "Nyu…" and falling over on the ground, a thin trickle of blood coming from his nose. (1) _

_Cagalli snatched the camera and glanced horrified at the image. When Kira had taken the picture while falling down, he'd gotten the picture from up her skirt while she glared down angrily at him. It showed her glaring at her brother from a worm's eye view…and showed her underwear. Her eye twitching, Cagalli snarled to her brother, "Kira Yamato! You better delete this if you know what's good for you!" Kira chuckled and answered, "Yea, whatever…" but his eyes widened and tears came to his eyes as his younger sister kicked him where it hurt, and _**damn**_ did she kick hard! Kira doubled over and said in a high voice, "Do you _**want**_ to have nieces or nephews?" Cagalli just grumbled and shoved the camera in his face. "Now delete it!" Kira nodded fearfully and "deleted" it. He had really saved it into a printing file. But Cagalli didn't need to know that little, inconspicuous detail. Now did she? _

Kira put the photo down once more, and went searching through the box. He spent another hour searching through the old shoe box, reliving fond and sad memories. He avoided the pictures at the very bottom of the box though, not wanting to ruin his few moments of sanctuary his Memory Box was giving him. He didn't want to relive those painful memories that lie in the bottom of the box. Not tonight at least.

After going through the box, Kira closed the lid and put it back in his closet, taking care not to let it be in sight. If Muruta ever found that box, it would probably be burned, along with the last pictures of happiness Kira had. He sighed and glanced up at the clock, and widened his eyes. It was already two thirty in the morning. He'd been spacing out with his pictures; he hadn't realized how long he'd been. Standing, he walked quietly to his bed, but instead of slipping under the covers, he felt he needed to do something.

Leaving his room, Kira quietly walked down the hall and then took a turn into another hall. He took slow, careful steps as to not make any of his steps make the floorboards. He approached a door that stood ajar, just barely open. He made his way down the hall to the door, and waited a moment to listen to the sounds of the house. He'd thought he heard something, but shrugged it off. He opened the door just enough to slip in, and then waited another moment to see if he could progress forward. It was safe, and he slowly made his way through Cagalli's room and towards his sister's bed.

He stopped at the edge of his sister's bed and kneeled down. The corners of is lips turned up in a serene, caring smile and he leaned in and kissed Cagalli's forehead. The girl stirred slightly, but to Kira's relief, nestled into her bed. Her hair looked damp, and Kira guessed she'd taken a shower before bed and hadn't bothered to towel-dry it like she usually did. He stood, and gently brushed the hair resting on her cheek behind her ear. He turned to leave her room, and made it to her door when something stopped him. Cagalli's small voice, nearly silenced by her pillow, mumbled a few words that made Kira feel sad, and warm at the same time. _"Thank you, Kira…"_ Kira wasn't sure if his sister was asleep or awake, or a bit of both, but her words still made his heart feel as if it was tearing in two, and being warmed by the sisterly love from another.

As he walked into the silent serenity of his room, he looked down at his hands. He'd heard you could tell a lot about somebody just by looking at their hands. But his hands knew how to keep a secret. By looking at his hands, you wouldn't know that his adoptive father beat him, or cut him. No one would know that he endured listening to harsh insults, and his sister's crying. No one…No one…

As he slipped under the covers, the reality that had been floating around him finally hit him. He was Cagalli's rock that held her down to earth. He was Cagalli's tree she could lean against. His chest was hers to cry on. His hand was hers to hold. It was his shoulder she could lay her forehead on. But within all of this, where was his rock? Who would he lean on? Whose chest could he cry on? Whose hand was he to hold? Whose shoulder could he lay his forehead down? Who would help him?

The frightening reality seemed overwhelming, and it became hard for him to breathe. He felt a cold sweat collect on his brow. In all of his chaos, he had always been strong for Cagalli. He had never failed her, he would always protect her from the world. He would go through the pains and sufferings of Hell to make her happy. She was his sister, and he loved her more than she could ever imagine possible. So, in a way, she was his rock. His tree, his chest, his shoulder, and when she held his hand, he held hers. So, in a way, they were there for each other, only Cagalli was more fragile and delicate than the finest, most beautiful flower petal, and her stem grew around him for support to reach the sun and open her petals.

But through the pressure, realization, and the self assurance, Kira couldn't help but shudder. When his hear t became broken, who would know? Who would care? Who would embrace him in their love and try to mend the too small pieces of his broken heart? The words that echoed in his mind sent waves and ripples of cold through his body. No one…No one…No one would ever care to know…

He couldn't stop the feeling, and he felt as though the world was crashing down on him. _Why_, _what_, _where_ was going on? Why didn't things make sense anymore? Why was everything so quiet? Why was it so loud? What was happening?

Kira opened his eyes, and widened them and yelped quietly, startled to see himself. Somehow, he'd gotten out of his bed and into his bathroom. His reflection in the mirror was smirking back at him, and a dark look had fallen over his face. Kira backed away, and rubbed his eyes roughly with the back of his hand. Looking up, he saw his normal reflection in the mirror. But a half crazed, half terrified look had crossed his features. Just then, he felt something cool and slightly heavy in his hand. He glanced down at his hand, and found a letter opener in his grip.

How had it gotten there? Why was he holding it? Why was he in the bathroom? What was going on? Why couldn't he think straight? Why couldn't he breathe? His heart was pounding, his chest hurt when he tried to breathe. His lungs were on fire, his body felt cold. Every thought he'd ever pondered came rushing back at him. Swimming through his head, he saw images so quickly he couldn't register what he was seeing. Everything was buzzing in his ears. He felt his right hand holding the letter opener lowering towards his left wrist. What was going on? He couldn't control his body, it was acting on its own!

Looking around, Kira felt the strange, nauseous feeling of claustrophobia settle in and take hold of his heart. The bathroom walls were closing in on him, and his head was becoming full. Why couldn't the ringing in his ears stop? Why couldn't he hear anything, when had it gone quiet? What was going on, what was happening to his mind! The ringing in his ears became deafening, and then, it was quiet. Everything stopped. The thoughts, they quickly, but softly, were filtered out of his mind. The ringing in his ears dulled down comfortably to silence. His head became clear and his body became light. And, as he looked down, he found himself…watching himself.

It was like he was floating above himself, watching as he made a thin, but deep cut on his wrist with the letter opener. The dark red blood that looked black in the window lit bathroom slid from the small blade to drip onto the counter of the sink. Kira watched another drop of blood drip down, and another, before watching the blood seep out of the wound in his wrist. In only a moment, Kira was back in his body, and watching the blood. The only thing he thought of was the pain, and that was nothing compared to the mental breakdown he'd just freed himself from. _'By a simple cut, everything that was bothering me just, disappeared…_' he thought to himself.

Sitting down and staring at his arm as blood trickled from his wrist down to his elbow, Kira couldn't help but feel a terrible, low feeling in his gut. He felt dark because of what he'd just done, and being grateful for it. Yet he also felt freed, as though the problems he'd just rid himself of would never come back. "Why is it, that this is so terrible, when it really does work?" he asked himself curiously. He shook the thoughts from his head and stood, facing the sink. He turned the water on and washed the cut, and wiped off the sink counter top. Afterward wrapping the cut with thick gauze. Then he washed the letter opener of any and all traces of blood. He didn't forget to wipe of the trail of blood on his arm either, and he threw the used towel in the trash can at the way bottom.

Then, finally, he walked back into his room, put the blade away in his nightstand drawer, and crawled into his welcoming bed and by the time his head hit the pillow, he was able to fall asleep peacefully. Too bad he only had three hours to sleep before his alarm clock would go off.

**Yahoo! I updated! I finally updated! Someone pinch me I must be dreaming! (Someone pinches me) Hey! What was that for! Anyway, now Kira's fallen into mental breakdowns that can only be solved by cutting, which make the pain go away. Wonder how long this will last, with no one knowing anyway. And now, you've seen a bit into his and Cagalli's past! And yes, I did find a use for Nicol! A very good use indeed…(Rubbing hands together while plotting for future chapters) And I've noticed that Kira hasn't been beaten by Muruta in a while…hmm…anyone guessing what happens in the next chapter? Heheheheheheh hahahahahaha! And I have solved my typing problem! I'll type late into the night, while my lazy parents are asleep and my brother is out with his evil friends. Oh, and sorry for the really short chapter, I hit a mini writer's block! **

**Oh, and I've been meaning to ask all my readers a very important question. Here it is, **If I wrote a Horror/Romance/Angst/Mystery AU story concerning Kira, Lacus, Athrun**, Cagalli, Dearka, and Miriallia, would any of you read it? My favorite parings applying? I really want to know! I had a great idea for a horror story, but I want support so I can make it great! Constructive criticism from my readers would be ultimately and greatly appreciated! Please let me know in your review, you kind, sweet, wonderful, beautiful souls? **

**Oh, and by the way, **Dark AzureKnight**, thank you for your review. The skeletons in my closet appreciated it! And I'm glad you think my morbid, depressing writing is cool! I can't write very good humor, so I usually write these romances with dark stuff, or smut. Either way, you all get something to read and my confidence is boosted by reviews! **


	7. Suspician, Transfer Student

**For You**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gundam Seed.

Glad you all liked chapter 6, I can only hope you like chapter 7…and everyone prepare to laugh, but I seriously have no clue what emo means, well I do, but I don't. I can comprehend it, but if someone came up to me and asked what emo meant, I wouldn't be able to answer**-**not even for a million dollars! So if someone could please shed some light on the subject in a review, I'd greatly appreciate it. And also, because of my impatience and miscalculation, some very interesting plot thickeners will be popping up sooner than I'd expected, and you all will like them very, very, much…heheheh…And gomen nasai for the late update! _PS. I realize many of you are skeptical about why Kira cannot fight Muruta. Well, I have an explanation, so continue reading to find out!_

**Chapter 7 Suspicion, Transfer Student**

The annoying sound of his alarm clock woke Kira instead of his body waking up for him. He usually always woke up ten minutes before the alarm clock, but hey, he was tired. He lifted his head from his pillow and glanced warily towards the beeping clock. He sighed and sat up, hitting the alarm 'off' button before stepping out of bed and walking towards his closet. He stretched his left arm before opening the closet doors, and then stretched his right arm.

Pain rushed up his side when he tried to stretch out his right arm and he hissed in pain and gripped his arm tightly in his fingers. "Damn, I forgot about this," he mumbled to himself, his eyes wincing in pain. The cuts Muruta had made had finally begun to heal. But by stretching his arm, the new skin growing over the cuts had been pulled, causing intense pain.

Kira sighed and opened his closet doors and pulled out his uniform. Bringing it to his bed, he laid it down and then walked over to his dresser. Opening a drawer, he pulled out a clean pair of boxers and quickly changed. He also slipped his shirt off over his head and tossed his used clothes into a hamper located next to his dresser.

As he turned to go put his uniform on, he glanced down at his wrist where he felt the itching of soft material against his skin. His eyes widened when he saw the white gauze with rusty red blood stains slipping through around his wrist. A sudden flash of what had happened last night rushed back to him, but surprisingly, it didn't bother him or cause him pain or mental stress to remember. Just a low feeling.

* * *

_It was like he was floating above himself, watching as he made a thin, but deep cut on his wrist with the letter opener. The dark red blood that looked black in the window lit bathroom slid from the small blade to drip onto the counter of the sink._

_He felt dark because of what he'd just done, and being grateful for it. Yet he also felt freed, as though the problems he'd just rid himself of would never come back. "Why is it, that this is so terrible, when it really does work?" he asked himself curiously.

* * *

_

Shaking the memory from his head, he fearlessly peeled off the gauze and examined the cuts he'd made. They seemed to actually already be healing, and he couldn't help but feel a small, but filling, ounce of relief fill his heart. He then turned to his bed and grabbed his black collared shirt before slipping it on and adjusting the collar to his liking. He then reached for his pants and slipped them on and fixed the hem around his waist. Finally, he grabbed his dark red blazer and slid it on easily. He strung his tie around his neck but didn't tighten it yet as he quickly made his way out of his room.

Kira entered the kitchen and quickly made a bowl of oatmeal for Cagalli while he hastily bit down on a bright red apple. After he finished Cagalli's breakfast, he glanced at the clock and knew she'd be coming into the kitchen in only a matter of minutes. He then nervously made breakfast for Muruta. The boy wasn't even sure if the man was even home. But still, he didn't want to take any chances.

Hearing footsteps in the hallway outside the kitchen, he smiled softly to himself. "Good morning Cagalli," he began but stopped when he heard the soft click of shoes on the kitchen tiles. His eyes widened when the footsteps approached him and he felt cold fingers curl around his throat.

"Now Kira, you might want to get your eyes checked. I'm most certainly not your sister," a voice hissed, amused, in his ear.

All Kira could do was stand rigid as Muruta kept him in his grip.

"Azrael-sama, good morning. What time did you get home?" he asked, trying not to show his fear and keep his voice in the obedient dog tone.

Azrael smirked and Kira knew it because he felt the fingers lift from his neck. Obedient dog was working so far. "I actually got home quite late; you were probably already fast asleep." Kira couldn't help but feel a foreboding feeling grow in the pit of his stomach. Was the blonde man planning something?

Kira felt his body tense when Muruta's hand roughly grasped his shoulder and turned him around to face him. Before he even had a chance to widen his eyes, or brace himself for that matter, Muruta's fist connected with his face, knocking him to the ground. The boy barely made a sound, and pulled himself to a sitting position on the floor, his hand clutching his right cheek. It was extremely painful from the blunt blow, especially because it was already finally beginning to bruise after its harsh treatment all week.

Muruta stood over the brunette, a sick smile growing on his face. "Now Kira, you really shouldn't pretend to be so quiet. I know on the inside you really do hate me. You hate me for all you're worth, don't you?" The man laughed to himself softly. "Well, as much as I'm worth, you're not worth much now are you?" His icy eyes darkening, Muruta kneeled down in front of the boy. He _gently_ reached his right hand forward and titled Kira's chin so the boy's soft lavender eyes were staring directly into his.

Kira's heartbeat quickened and he tried to not let the fear he felt crashing through his body show in his eyes. It must have because Muruta smirked wickedly and pushed the boy onto his back with his other hand. "You're a pathetic waste of time. Kudaranai…" he finished before standing up once more and turning to leave the kitchen. "Oh, and Kira? I'll be home around ten, don't worry about my dinner. Just do remember to wait up for me this time," the man said with a dark smirk on his face before leaving the room. But just as he passed the counter, his hand was lifted and he pushed the plate that was supposed to have held his breakfast off the marble counter and the plate fell to the kitchen floor, smashing into bits.

Kira glared at the mess on the floor before comprehending what Muruta had just said. Before he could look up at the man with a questioning face, he was gone. The boy sighed and sat back up, rubbing the back of his head gingerly. Without another wasted moment though, he leaned forward and collected the larger shards of ceramic and stood to set them on the counter. Then he kneeled back down to find the smaller shards that might have cut a foot if not picked up.

Hearing a bedroom door open and close, he quickly picked up all the shards and stood. Small footsteps in the hallway warned him Cagalli was coming and he wanted to hide the plate pieces. He didn't want Cagalli to question the broken plate in connection with his bruising cheek. Opening the cupboard and pulling out a plastic bag, he shoved all the shards into it and tied it tightly just before walking casually towards the garbage can and dropping the bag in carefully as to not make much noise. Cagalli walked in through the kitchen doorway and yawned sleepily.

"Morning Kira. I'm so tired…" she added in a drowsy tone.

Kira smiled at his sister and pulled her oatmeal out of the microwave and set it down in front of her chair at the table. The blonde girl walked over and sat down without looking up at her brother. Kira was a bit relieved, for now at least.

"What? Did you stay up all night studying for a change?" he teased.

"No, I just couldn't sleep. I guess it was just insomnia or something. I finally got some shut eye around one in the morning though," she answered, turning to give a glare at her brother.

Kira turned his head so she wouldn't see the bruise on his cheek, but realized she'd find it sooner or later. _'I'd prefer later. I don't want her upset right this moment, she'll see it soon though…'_ as the boy reasoned in his head, the blonde girl ate her breakfast quickly and silently. The only thoughts racing through her head at the moment were about a quiz she had today, the fact that she was tired, the fact her brother was trapped in a living hell, and all she wanted was to see Athrun Zala and Muruta Azraels' heads on silver platters.

Without realizing it, a dark smirk curled onto the girl's lips at the thought of the two men dead, but she then realized what she was thinking, and tried shaking it out of her head. Sure she hated them, and they disserved to die, but she shouldn't be thinking about that. Karma has nasty ways of getting back at people.

After a few more moments of shoving spoonfuls of oatmeal into her mouth, the girl swallowed quickly and stood with her bowl in her hands. She placed the spoon in the bowl and walked them over to the sink and set them down gently as to not let them crack or break. Cagalli cast a kind smile in her brother's direction, and began to walk out of the kitchen, when she felt a warm, stinging sensation on the bottom of her right foot.

From the shock and strange feeling, she yelped in surprise and slight pain before backing up, straight into her brother's chest. The girl would have fallen to the ground if Kira hadn't placed his hands firmly around her shoulders. "Cagalli you klutz! What happened?" he asked in a surprised and amused voice as he set her back down in a chair by the breakfast table. The blonde girl glared at her sibling and pulled her legs into a cross-legged position before lifting her right foot so she could look at the bottom of it.

"I don't know, I think I might have stepped on something…" she mumbled before her eyes widened slightly. "My foot's bleeding," she stated, watching as bright crimson blood began to rise from a thin line scratched into her foot.

Kira felt his eyes widen in surprise and guilt. '_It must have been part of the plate. This is my fault,'_ he thought silently. The brunette walked over to the sink and turned on both hot and cold faucets a small bit so it'd be warm water spewing from the nozzle, and kneeled down to open the cupboard underneath the sink to retrieve a roll of paper towel. He ripped off a piece of it and folded it a few times so it was a square barely bigger than his hand. He ran it under the water, and added a little hand soap before rubbing the soap into the towel, then turning the water off.

The boy walked back towards his sister and handed her the square to rub against the cut. The blonde smiled at him and commenced in cleaning the small nick. Kira turned and looked down at the kitchen tiles to find to offending plate shard that had escaped his eye, and he picked it up before slipping it in his pocket. "Hey Kira, can you give me a dry towel and a bandage? I'm done." Kira nodded with a grin on his lips before walking back towards the cupboard and grabbing the paper towel and a small first-aid kit. He just tossed the roll to Cagalli, who caught it and ripped off a piece to wipe her foot while he grabbed a roll of bandage linen.

A quick memory of that morning, of his self-inflicted cut bleeding, flashed through his mind before he shook it away. He brought the bandages over to his sister and she accepted them. He grabbed the paper towel roll and waited for his sister to finish up with the bandaging before taking both back and placing them back in the cupboard, the bandages stored in the first-aid kit to await for their next use. "Cagalli, you should hurry up and get changed, we'll be late for school," Kira said.

"Yeah, I'll be dressed in a minute, be right back!" she called over her shoulder as she rushed up and out of the kitchen.

Kira chuckled when he heard her curse, "Damn karma!" after hearing a thump against a wall that was his sister. He then picked up the used paper towel and walked over to the garbage can. But before dropping the used towels in it, he pulled the shard out of his pocket and wrapped in first the dry towel, then the wet, and finally dropped all three articles in the can.

Cagalli ran out of her room in her uniform with her school bag clutched in her hand with a paper or two hanging out. Bursting into the entrance room of the mansion, she found Kira waiting for her with a grin on his face. "I didn't say we _were_ late, just that if you took too long we would be." he chuckled as he set his school bag down and walked towards his sister.

He reached over to her and fixed her tie which she'd had no time to do properly. She blushed a bit from embarrassment when he glanced down her whole uniform and sighed. Cagalli fixed her skirt and pulled it down a bit more and Kira straightened her blazer for her. Luckily that was all that needed fixing and Kira retrieved his school bag and opened the front doors for them.

As Cagalli passed Kira, she glanced up at his face and noticed the bruise on his cheek had reddened and was swelling. "Kira, what happened to your cheek?" she demanded, her eyes dropping their sleepy, hazed look. The brunette sighed and closed the door behind them before beginning to walk down the mansion front steps.

"Don't worry about it," he said in a low tone, hoping she'd get the hint.

"But Kira! It looks much worse than yesterday! What happened! I'm ordering you to tell me!" she said roughly.

She ran down the steps to catch up to her brother and when she reached him, she grabbed his arm tightly. "Kira, just tell me, please…" she asked in a quieter tone.

Kira stopped and looked down at his sister's worried face. He forced a grin to his face and placed his free arm around her shoulders, bringing her into a one armed embrace. "It's nothing, ok? I'll be fine. Nothing will ever hurt me if you're safe, all right? Please, just trust me." he whispered quietly so she was the only one that could hear him.

The blonde girl let go of his arm and returned the embrace. "I do trust you Kira, it's just that I'm worried about you," Kira silenced her by leaning down so they had direct eye contact. He smiled and placed his forehead on hers. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Having this much contact often made her calm down and fall into a warm, false sense of security created by her brother to lull her into a cushioned state of mind. It worked, but never for too long. She eventually woke up from the trance like state, but she at least got to relax while under its spell.

"Well let me do the worrying, all right? You just go crazy and have fun. Let me carry the burdens, all right? I promise I'll be more careful from now on." he breathed softly.

Cagalli took one more deep breath before opening her eyes and averting her gaze to the ground. A simple nod of her head told Kira she was fine, and he broke away from her and took a step back. A caring smile was planted on his face, and he extended his hand for her to hold. She reached out without hesitation and grasped his hand in hers.

Kira smiled at her and they began walking towards their school, hand in hand.

* * *

Lacus clutched her left shoulder as she walked towards the school. Her eyes were glazed over with unshed tears and her hair floated down her back; her bangs hid her moist eyes from curious eyes. Her school bag was clutched in her left hand. The pink haired girl stopped and rubbed her shoulder gingerly. When her fingers massaged a certain spot, she hissed in pain and grit her teeth. _'That must be where I hit it,'_ she thought to herself silently as she recalled what had happened that morning.

* * *

Lacus finished dressing in her uniform and began brushing her long hair. It had only acquired a few snarls during her sleep, and didn't need much brushing. But just as she was about to braid it, she glanced over at her school bag and remembered she'd dropped her razor in the desk drawer the day before. She stood from her vanity and walked over to her desk before sliding open the drawer and reaching in to grab her razor in the small plastic case.

But as soon as her fingers brushed over it, she heard her door opening and she immediately took her hand from the drawer and closed it shut. The girl spun around to see her sister standing in the open doorway of her bedroom. Lacus felt her knees shaking and tried to steady herself by placing her hand on the desktop to balance herself.

"Ohayo onee-chan. Did you sleep well?" the older girl asked as she walked slowly and gracefully towards her younger sister. Lacus tried to avoid eye contact and kept silent. She didn't want Meer to come any closer, but if she told her to leave, she'd probably laugh and just do something that made every hair on the back of the girl's neck stand on end.

"Answer me you insolent child." Meer demanded, taking hold of Lacus' wrists and pulling the girl towards her.

Lacus stared up at her older sister in shock,_ 'When did she get that close?'_ she wondered silently. Her heart began to beat faster in fear as Meer's copper eyes took on a lustful glint. Before she could tell what Meer was doing, the girl had pushed Lacus backwards, right into her desk. Lacus cried out in pain when she fell because her left shoulder came in contact with the corner of her desk before her body fell the ground.

The pink haired girl felt a throbbing in her left shoulder and groaned from the pain. Before she could try and sit up, Meer had kneeled down and reached for the girl's wrists and held them down. "Meer, get off of me!" Lacus shouted in panic. But the older girl just laughed and leaned forward, closer to her little sister's face till their lips were just centimeters away. Lacus struggled underneath the girl's weight, but it was useless. Meer was stronger and heavier than she was.

"Onee-chan, stop struggling. You know you can't get away till I get what I want," Meer purred seductively.

"Please Meer, let me go!" Lacus begged in a softer, more pleading voice.

Meer ignored her, and just as Lacus thought she would, pressed her pink-red lips against Lacus' bare ones. The kiss lasted longer than the one in the bathroom, and Lacus felt herself begin to panic. The copper eyed girl let go of her captive's right wrist and brought her hand down to Lacus' waist where she rested it on her hip. Lacus tried to use her hand to push Meer off of her, but Meer surprised her and licked her lips, causing her to freeze in shock.

Meer took that chance to part her sister's lips and her tongue entered her sister's mouth, tasting every corner. Lacus was frozen in shock, and felt tears prick her eyes as her sister's hand that was resting on her hip slowly trailed down her thigh to the hem of her skirt. Meer's fingers pulled the dark red fabric higher up her sister's leg till it was nearly at her waist before her fingers snuck towards her inner thigh.

Meer broke away from her sister when her hand brushed against her sister's body, a smirk on her lips. Lacus stared up at Meer in disbelief and shock. Meer watched the girl beneath her shake, and she let go of her other wrist and stood. Staring down at the girl below her, her smirk turned into and ugly sneer and she turned and left the room.

Lacus sat up when her bedroom door slammed and she clumsily tried to pull her skirt hem back down to her knees. With that done, she sat still for a moment and stopped breathing for a few moments. Her body broke out of the lifeless state when she felt something warm sliding down her cheek. She gently raised her hand to her cheek and wiped her eyes. The tears weren't rough or forced, they were just…drifting…down from her eyes.

The girl quickly stood and yanked her desk drawer open and ripped her razor out. She rushed into the bathroom and slammed the case down on the counter before pulling the left sleeve of her blazer up as far as she could get it. She then opened her razor case and taking the sharp blade; she pressed it against her arm a bit below her elbow, and slowly pulled the blade down her arm. A thick trail of dark crimson blood followed right after the blade and the girl sighed in relief as the blood trickled down her arm. She made shorter slashes along the main gash and dropped the blade when she felt a bit dizzy.

Looking down at her arm, her eyes widened when she saw it was covered in her blood. Her knuckles were also turning red, and blood laced around her fingers beautifully before dripping in small drops onto the white ceramic sink. Lacus quickly turned the water on and used her right hand to wash off the blood. She did so quickly and roughly till it took quite a few moments till blood would surface once again. She then took out her balm and rubbed it over her arm quickly. It only took her a moment to reach into the sink cupboard and pull out a large roll of bandages which she wrapped around her arm tightly and thickly.

When she was finished, she felt shame sit on her shoulders. She'd gone crazy from her sister's sick act, and had cut blindly. Now she had bandages on her lower arm as thick as a sleeve. She carefully rolled her sleeve down and left the bathroom. She didn't clean the mess or her razor, just left it there. Maybe with luck her sister might find it and send her away, far away, to some psychiatric ward where she'd be safe from herself.

She grabbed her school bag and winced from the growing pain in her arm as she lifted it. Without another moment wasted, she ran from her room, through the hallway, down the stairs, and out the door. She didn't want to see Meer, or think about her. She just wanted to get to school where she would be told what to do, how to do it, and given no time to think about what she did.

* * *

Sighing, Lacus just continued ahead and tried to think about nothing as she walked. But because she was thinking of nothing, her mind kept wandering to other things. She stopped again and rubbed her shoulder, and gently brushed her fingers across her arm. It made her skin burn from the contact and she bit her lip to keep from making any noise.

Glancing across the road, she saw a brunette boy wearing the Kurenai Sakura uniform holding hands with a blonde girl wearing the same uniform. She recognized the boy as Kira, but didn't know who the girl was. _'Maybe she's his girlfriend?'_ she wondered, a bit curious. Trying to banish that morning's incident to the back of her mind, she put on a happy façade and took a deep breath. "Hey Kira!" she shouted to get the boy's attention.

When he turned to look in her direction, she smiled and ran across the street to meet them.

"Morning Kira." Lacus greeted as she came to stand beside him.

"Uh, good morning Lacus," Kira replied back, a kind smile on his lips.

Lacus smiled at Kira and looked down to his side where the blonde girl was standing very close to his arm. The older girl felt the blonde's gaze scanning her, and she offered her right hand.

"I'm Lacus Clyne, Kira's friend. Who are you?" Lacus asked politely.

With a small nudge from her brother, Cagalli reached out and shook the girl's hand. "I'm Cagalli, Kira's sister."

Lacus took a step back and looked over Cagalli, then Kira. Her cerulean eyes lingered on his face for a moment, and she smiled. "You two look cute together." she finally said, earning a blush from both siblings. Kira chuckled and glanced in the direction of the school.

"We should get going before we're late." he stated.

Both girls nodded and the three walked in the direction of the school.

* * *

Upon reaching the school, Kira stopped near the High School steps and gave his sister a quick hug around her shoulders. The girl smiled at him warmly before running towards the Middle School steps where her friends were waiting. When Cagalli was gone, Lacus turned to Kira who had begun to walk towards the High School. "Hey Kira! Wait a minute," she called. The boy turned around and waited for her to walk up to him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Where did that bruise on your cheek come from?" she asked with a look of concern in her eyes.

"Uh, my father and I were playing football, and I missed with my hands. I guess I'm not a very good football player. Besides, Zala punched me there yesterday. It was bound to bruise soon enough," he said quickly, as though just coming up with it.

Lacus nodded to show she believed him. _'I don't believe that story for a minute. That boy punched Kira in the jaw, not the face.'_ the pink haired girl thought to herself silently. But she said nothing and followed Kira into the school.

* * *

Cagalli placed her school bag in her locker and grabbed her books and binders she'd need till lunch, and shut her locker door with a bit of difficulty. Stellar stood next to her with all her books and binders in her arms. "C'mon Cagalli! Perk up, it's Friday!" the magenta eyed girl chirped. Cagalli looked over at her friend and smiled.

'Leave it to Stellar to try and perk everyone up,' she thought in a friendly way.

The two girls then joined Shinn and Ahmed and began walking to their classroom. Cagalli looked over to her tan skinned friend and saw he looked a bit tired. "Hey, Ahmed, are you all right?" she asked curiously.

"Yea, are you sure you're not still sick?" Shinn added.

"You might be causing more harm to your body by coming to school sick," Stellar piped in.

"Don't worry about me. I am a bit tired, but I think the flu is gone." the boy declared.

"Flu? I thought you said it was a cold…" Shinn said, narrowing his eyes and inching a bit away from his friend.

"Ah shut up Shinn. I just have a weak immune system, that's all." Ahmed snapped.

"That's because you don't eat enough vegetables stupid." Cagalli said matter-of-factly.

Stellar smiled nervously as her friends all began glaring darts at each other. "TGIF…Thank God it's Friday…" she chuckled, trying to break the tension between her friends.

Reaching their homeroom, the four split into pairs, and took their seats at the double desks. Cagalli and Stellar were on the far left of the classroom by the large window, and Shinn and Ahmed were in the double desk behind them. Cagalli was busy looking out the window into the large courtyard that the High School cafeteria was connected to. There was a very large sakura tree growing in the center of the courtyard. The blossoms, instead of being a light pink, were red: so forth the school's name.

"Good morning Cagalli!" a voice called, breaking Cagalli from her trance.

Turning around, Cagalli saw Katie sitting at the double desk beside her and Stellar. The auburn haired girl had her hair in a high ponytail and a small braid hung down by her right ear.

"Morning." Cagalli said back.

The bell rang then and their teacher stood to go shut the door so any late students would be noticed. The students in the classroom all took their seats and stopped chatting. Cagalli rested her chin on her hand and waited for the morning announcements like the other students. _'You're right Stellar. Thank God it's Friday…' _she thought to herself, averting her gaze back out the window and up at the sky. The clouds were beginning to join together and become thicker. Their coloring was beginning to darken as well. _'A storm?'_ the blonde girl wondered curiously.

* * *

Kira took his seat in Ms. Ramius' room and Lacus took her seat next to him. They were able to pass through the halls without bumping into the 'Three Stooges' and got into the classroom quite early. Ms. Ramius had left the room to go fill her thermos with coffee, and would be back in a minute. Kira was just staring off into nothing, and Lacus was watching him intently.

The girl broke her gaze and turned to inspect her left arm. She ran her fingers over the area underneath her elbow. Her eyes winced as she felt a burning sensation of pain run through her arm. A small groan of pain fell from Lacus' lips and Kira broke out of his stare to glance over at her. "Lacus, are you all right?" he asked worriedly. Lacus looked over and widened her eyes in embarrassment.

"Oh, yes I'm fine. I just, bumped my arm this morning. That's all," she answered, averting her eyes to her desk.

Kira would have pressed further since he could tell something was wrong, but the teacher walked in at that moment.

Ms. Ramius glanced around the room quickly to see only some of the students were there, the three nerds that sat in the middle right area of the classroom, and Kira and Lacus in the front row. "Good morning Lacus, Kira-" she began, but stopped when Kira turned his head to smile at the teacher. Before Kira could understand what was happening, Ms. Ramius' face was inches away from his and she was examining the bruise on his face.

"Kira, where did this come from? It looks painful, where did you get this?" she demanded, as if a mother asking her child where he put her purse before a date.

"Uh…um, I was playing football with my father, and I missed the ball." Kira stumbled over his words as he spoke.

Lacus watched him intently, her eyes never leaving his. _'Why do his eyes look so nervous? If anything, he would probably be embarrassed. And his story can't be fully true; he told me that it was so bad because Athrun had punched him there earlier. But, his story doesn't add up.'_ Lacus thought to herself silently.

Ms. Ramius finally left Kira alone when the bell rang and the students poured into the classroom. She told the students to pull their books out and turn to page 340, but Lacus hesitated a moment. She continued to stare at Kira, a concerned and curious look on her face. _'Kira, what are you hiding?' _she asked herself, unknowing of the horrific answer.

* * *

"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" Shinn declared as the small group made their way to the cafeteria.

Stellar giggled, "I'm sure you could if you were hungry enough."

"Hooves and all!" Ahmed declared with a chuckle.

Shinn glared at his stupid friend and mumbled a curse or two. Cagalli observed her friends with amusement.

The group passed by a locker area, and a girl looked up as they passed. She was standing by a group of girls that were squealing something or other. She closed her locker and hurried over to Cagalli and her friends. "Hey, Cagalli!" The girl shouted out as she ran up to the blonde.

"Oh, Katie. Do you need something?" the amber eyed girl asked.

"I was wondering, if it would be all right if I accompanied you to lunch?" the aqua eyed girl asked.

"That would be fine!" Stellar spoke up for Cagalli.

Katie smiled and walked alongside Cagalli as they walked towards the cafeteria.

Sitting down at their usual table, the five students began eating before talking. Katie looked around at the others, and averted her eyes to the tabletop. "Hey, did you guys hear about the transfer student?" she asked.

"What?" Cagalli asked, looking up from her lunch her brother had made for her.

"Transfer student?" Stellar asked, curiosity filling her head.

Katie nodded, "Yes, there's a transfer student in the ninth grade. He just transferred from a school in Europe." The auburn haired girl explained.

Shinn chewed and swallowed his large mouthful of pizza and guzzled down his chocolate milk.

"Europe? You mean some British kid got into Kurenai Sakura?" Ahmed asked in disbelief.

"Yea, uh, no…See, he used to go to a school here, but apparently he was sent to a boarding school in Europe. And now he's back and coming here."

"Is that so?" Stellar asked.

"Do you know what he looks like?" Cagalli asked curiously.

"Uh, no. I didn't hear anything about that. I did hear something or other that he can play the piano." Katie answered; a bit flustered that she couldn't tell her friend the information she wanted.

The group continued eating, making small conversation but otherwise not doing anything. Shinn looked up when the cafeteria doors opened and he sighed. "Great, here _they_ come…" he mumbled with food still in his mouth. Stellar kicked him from under the table.

"Don't talk with food in your mouth!" she chastised him as would a mother.

"Hey, there's a new guy with _them_!" the black haired boy said with mild interest.

Ahmed stood from his seat to get a better look since he was a bit vertically challenged.

"I see him, hard not to since he's not wearing the red uniform…" the tan skinned boy stated as he sat back down.

"That must be the transfer student then." Katie added. "Since he's so new, he's probably just wearing his old uniform. He should get his Kurenai Sakura uniform by tomorrow," she finished.

The group of people that just entered the cafeteria began to walk towards a nearly empty table a few feet away from Shinn and their table. The black haired boy groaned loudly. "Great, now we have to listen to them talk! If I have to sit through them again, I'll snap!" The others at the table chuckled at Shinn's words. At least, until the noisy group of ninth graders walked past them.

Cagalli looked over her shoulder out of curiosity as did Stellar, to see what the transfer student looked like. Though a few people were in the way, the two blonde girls could see the white uniformed student stuck in the middle of the group. Cagalli saw light green hair, but was too far away to see his eyes. Stellar turned and began a conversation with Katie about something. Cagalli watched as the loud ninth graders sat down, nearly fighting over who sat next to the white clad boy. She didn't take her eyes off the back of the green haired boy's head till Shinn exclaimed loudly, "Why oh _why_, must ninth graders eat lunch at the same time as eighth graders?"

"Shinn…everyone eats lunch at the same time…" Ahmed reminded his red eyed friend.

"I know, but **_why_**?"

The girls chuckled at Shinn's desperate behavior as more ninth graders entered the cafeteria, filling the large room with even more noise.

"Why are ninth graders so loud?" he called, nearly loud enough for everyone to hear him.

"Shinn, settle down, will you?"

* * *

Miriallia hurried across the courtyard towards the red sakura tree. When she finally reached it, she sighed and sat down next to Lacus who sat across from Kira. "Sorry I'm late guys, Ms. Badgiruel held me back to talk to me about something," the auburn haired girl explained briefly.

"About what?" Kira asked curiously.

"Oh, she wanted to ask me about something, it was nothing." she answered.

Kira shrugged off her answer and continued to eat his lunch. Lacus ate hers silently, and Miriallia ate hers while watching Lacus. The auburn haired girl looked up at her brown haired friend, and her eyes lingered on his bruised cheek. He had explained to her before Math that it was caused by a football. But she didn't buy his story, and looking at Lacus, she didn't buy it either.

When the lunch bell rang, the trio packed up their lunches and stood to head back to the school. As Mir and Lacus stood, Mir accidentally nudged the pink haired girl's left arm. Lacus yelped in pain and surprised her two friends as she fell back onto her knees, clutching her left arm tightly. Kira immediately kneeled down and placed a hand on her right shoulder. "Lacus, what's wrong?" he asked urgently with a concerned look in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm fine! I think I just pulled something in my arm, that's all…" Lacus answered immediately.

"Are you sure?" Kira asked, a bit suspicious.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's all right Kira," the girl assured him.

The boy stood and reached a hand down to Lacus to help her up. She stood with his help and she smiled at him softly_. 'Almost, apologetically.'_ Mir noticed. "Hey Miriallia, I have to go talk to Ms. Ramius. I'll meet you at Home Ec in a few minutes. Lacus, want to come along?" the boy asked, looking directly into the pink haired girl's eyes. Lacus could see that Kira was pretty much ordering her to come along, so she nodded.

"Uh, ok. See you there then," the auburn haired girl said.

Kira grinned and grabbed Lacus' right wrist before dragging her along with him towards the school. They didn't stop till Kira led Lacus to an empty hallway.

"Kira, didn't you want to talk to Ms. Ramius?" the girl asked curiously.

"Actually Lacus, I wanted to talk to you." He stated a bit harshly.

Lacus shifted uncomfortably under her friend's stare.

"Lacus, what's wrong with your arm?" the brunette demanded.

"I told you, I must have pulled something," she replied, averting her gaze to the floor.

"I don't believe you," Kira answered.

Without warning, the boy reached forward and grabbed Lacus' left hand. He then pulled the blazer sleeve up as far as it would go, and gasped at what he saw. Lacus couldn't look, and kept her eyes away from Kira and her arm.

The thick bandaging she'd put on that morning was not enough to stop the blood flow, and long slivers of dark red bled through the white bandage. The slivers illuminated the slashes Lacus had done to herself that morning. "Lacus," Kira began, but couldn't finish because Lacus pulled her arm back and slid her sleeve down in the blink of an eye.

"Lacus, why did you," Kira began, but stopped when the girl trembled and nearly fell to her knees. The lavender eyed boy reached forward and supported the girl by holding her shoulders.

"Please Kira, I can't tell you. Just, don't ask, _just don't…_" the pink haired girl begged, tears behind her eyes.

Kira sighed and pulled Lacus into a comforting embrace, like the one he'd given Cagalli that morning. The boy rubbed her back in a soothing way, and Lacus took in deep breaths.

"All right, I won't." He declared after a moment. "But only if you promise me something,"

"What?" Lacus asked, breaking away from the embrace and looking into up into his eyes.

"Don't hurt yourself like this. It's not healthy, do you understand me?" Kira asked with a protective edge to his voice.

Lacus nodded and Kira smiled softly with understanding.

"I don't want you to hurt yourself like this, it isn't the way to solve your problems…" he said, feeling a bit guilty from what he was saying.

Lacus averted her gaze to the hall tiles, "What gives you any right to tell me about my problems?" she asked with a little more bitterness than she wanted. She quickly looked up into his face with and apologetic look in her eyes.

"I'm not telling you about your problems, I'm just saying you're handling it the wrong way. But I do know what the feeling is, to be driven so far to have to slit your own flesh and cause yourself pain just to feel better. And I don't want to know that you're hurting yourself to feel better," Kira explained softly, his eyes softening and giving instant comfort to the girl.

Lacus took a moment to take in his words, and felt a strange sensation in her chest. _'He knows what it's like? To be so far off the edge, all you see is the wall you fell from? He couldn't know what goes on in my life…But maybe…he does?'_

Looking into Kira's eyes, Lacus saw the reflection of her own eyes. The worry, concern, and the look of overwhelming strain. She saw it in his eyes.

"I…believe you, Kira…" she whispered.

Kira smiled at her and hesitantly reached a hand and delicately used his finger to wipe away her tears still clinging to her eyes. The girl looked up at him with a warm smile on her lips and a light pink in her cheeks.

"Come on, we'll be late if we take any longer," he told her.

"Right, let's go." she replied.

* * *

(Skipping to the end of the school day because I can and it's freakin 1:30 in the morning and there's still nearly 1/3 of story left to type and I'm tired!)

Cagalli waved to Stellar as her blonde friend walked home. Shinn and Ahmed were picked up by Mrs. Asuka and had left a few minutes ago. Katie had to go and talk to their Math teacher for help on a certain homework problem and would be coming back soon. The amber eyed girl looked down at her school bag and opened it to look inside and make sure she had all of her books and binders.

But as she fingered the book spines, she widened her eyes in surprise. She'd grabbed her Science book instead of her Math book. "Damn it all," she mumbled. Turning and hurrying back into the Junior High, she quickly walked down the halls incase a teacher was watching them, hurrying to her locker.

When she got only a hallway away from her locker area, she broke into a run and dashed down the hallway, and turned quickly. But much too quickly because she bumped into someone walking in the hallway.

Impact made both students fall to the ground, dropping whatever was in their hands. Luckily, all of Cagalli's things were in her bag, so she didn't have a mess. But the victim had dropped everything they'd been carrying. "Gomen nasai! I didn't see you in the hallway, I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going," the blonde girl stuttered out in embarrassment while staring at the tiled floor.

"Don't worry, it's all right." a boy's voice answered.

Cagalli looked up and her eyes widened. 'He's the transfer student!' she said to herself silently.

"Here, let me help you," she began reaching for one of the books on the ground.

"No, it's all right. I've got it. A beautiful girl like you doesn't need to do anything," he replied in a chivalrous tone.

The blonde girl looked at the boy in front of her, looking him over. His hair was a light green and sort of wavy, and it had a soft look to it. It fell to nearly touch his shoulders. His eyes were a soft brown and made Cagalli think of floating when she looked into them. His body wasn't very macho; in fact it was slim enough to look feminine, even with the uniform. His skin was a pale ivory and looking at his hands, Cagalli could see he had long and slender fingers. He didn't look much taller than her either.

"I have to help, it'll guilt my conscience if I don't." she joked.

He just shook his head in amusement and they cleared the mess.

Cagalli helped him by picking up the books that had scattered around them. When they'd finished, they stood and the girl handed the boy the books. He took them with a smile that made his whole face light up.

"Thank you very much, but you didn't need to help me." he said yet again.

"But it was my fault, I crashed into you," Cagalli stated with a bit of embarrassment evident in her voice.

"I'm Cagalli by the way, Azrael Cagalli." she stated. She would have held out her hand, but the boy's hands were full.

"So Cagalli's your name? It's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl like yourself." he declared, bringing a bright red blush to the girl's cheeks.

"Um, thanks. What's your-" but she was cut off when the boy looked up at a clock hanging on the wall.

"Oh, I have to go. I'll see you around!" he called over his shoulder as he hurried down the way she'd come.

Cagalli stared after him for a moment, but then hurried to her locker to exchange the books, unaware of the figure watching her.

The blonde left the school building and hurried down the stairs to go and wait by the High School steps for her brother. But as she was waiting, a shadow fell over her, and she looked up, expecting to see Kira. Her smile faded into a thin set frown and her eyes hardened into a steady glare.

"Zala, what do you want?" she spat, balling her right hand into a fist.

The blue haired boy smirked down at her and his green eyes lit up with lust.

"You of course," he said in his deep voice as he laced and arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Let go of me you snake!" Cagalli demanded, pushing against his chest in and attempt to release herself from his grasp.

"Why would I want to do that little one?" he asked, bringing his face down closer to hers.

Cagalli tensed when he stopped, their faces only inches apart. Athrun brought up his free hand and rested it on her cheek. He slowly slid his fingers across her skin till they rested under her chin. Tilting her face up towards him, he began to lower his lips closer to hers, till Cagalli brought up her knee into his family jewels and pushed away from him.

"Don't you touch me! Got it?" the blonde girl demanded, anger written all over her face.

"You, are proving quite defiant, aren't you?" he asked, nearly unfazed by her attack.

Cagalli glared at him and would have tried to hit him again had he not moved closer to her and grabbed both her wrists, pulling her against his chest yet again. The blonde girl glared up at him and tried to bring up her leg again but he pressed his own foot on hers.

"Let go of me you bastard!" she demanded in frustration.

"Make me." he countered, a victorious smirk on his face.

"Let her go." a third voice demanded in a steely voice.

Athrun turned his head to find Kira and Lacus not too far behind him. He smirked upon seeing the bruise on Kira's cheek.

"Well now, if it isn't Azrael. Lucky for you I'm in a sparing mood, so I won't beat the fuck out of you for interrupting." he sneered.

"Let her go Zala," Kira continued, a dark look in his eyes. Lacus noticed the immediate change, and felt a strange feeling come over her. A feeling of cold hatred.

Athrun ignored him and let go of Cagalli's right wrist to slid his hand down her back to rest on her hip. The blonde tried to push him away again, but it was useless.

Instead, she relaxed and let herself be supported by the boy's chest. Just enough so his grip wouldn't be as tight, and then she used her elbow to push against him and break out of his grasp. Cagalli then ran towards her brother and turned to glare at Athrun who was staring at her and Kira.

"Isn't that cute. Is the reason you hate me so much because you prefer your brother to other guys?" the bluenette asked with a sneer on his face.

Cagalli felt her anger boil in her stomach and she was about to run back and attack the dumb-fuck who dared insult her and Kira, when she felt Lacus' hand on her shoulder, holding her back. Kira kept still as a stone wall, glaring at the green eyed boy the whole time. Finally, as though a bell chimed calling out to him, Athrun turned to leave. But not without one final glance at Cagalli. The girl felt her stomach drop. The look in his eyes was dark and full of something other than just plain lust. It looked more like, desire…and it scared her.

When he was finally out of sight, Kira turned to his little sister and looked her straight in the eyes. "Cagalli, are you all right? He didn't do anything to you?" he asked in an over concerned tone. Lacus watched him with fascination. He was acting as though his sister was some sacred treasure that someone had just attempted to destroy. Cagalli replied a yes to her brother's questions and he sighed in relief.

"C'mon, let's just go home all right?" he stated more than asked, and they turned to leave. Just before they left though, Kira turned around and smiled at Lacus, "You're welcome to come along till we pass your street if you want," he offered. The pink haired girl smiled and hurried after them. Cagalli glanced up at her brother and gave him a curious look, but just shrugged it off.

* * *

Walking up the stone steps to the mansion, Kira took the house key from his school bag and unlocked the door before they stepped inside. As soon as they were inside, they both kicked off their shoes and walked into the family room to set their bags down.

"I'm gonna go change," Cagalli said as usual before heading towards the hallway that led to her bedroom.

Kira also went to his bedroom to change. He wanted to check his wrist as well without Cagalli walking in on him.

Cagalli entered the family room and headed toward the couch in front of the table so she could start her homework. She'd just cracked open her Math textbook when Kira reentered the room. He gave her a smile before sitting down next to her and pulling out his own homework.

Cagalli finished her Math assignment and began her Social Studies homework around the time her brother finished all of his homework. She glanced over at him and glared in jealousy. "You always finish up so fast, it's not fair!" she pouted playfully.

Kira chuckled and placed a hand on her head before ruffling her hair. "If I didn't finish so quickly, I wouldn't be able to make us dinner smart one," he teased before walking off into the kitchen.

Cagalli watched him go and looked back down at her assignment. "I guess it's just you and me then," she sighed before flipping through the text book to the specified page and beginning her work.

Forty-five minutes later, Kira reentered the family room to find his sister nearly falling asleep over her assignment. "Almost done?" he asked.

"Yea, and I think I'll go to bed early tonight. Right after dinner…" she mumbled before yawning loudly. "History always makes me sleepy," she added before standing up and following her brother into the kitchen.

The two sat down at the kitchen table where their food awaited them. Cagalli yawned again before picking up her chopsticks and beginning her dinner. Kira ate a bit faster than his sister, but that was because his mind was elsewhere, on another person.

"Hey Kira, I'm done. I think I'll just go to bed now. Thanks for dinner." she added before leaning down and kissing him quickly on the cheek.

"Night Cagalli, sweet dreams," he said softly.

As his sister walked out of the kitchen and into the hallway, he heard a slight 'thump' and a quiet curse of "Damn Karma…" from his sister. He chuckled before he cleaned up the places at the table.

After he brought them all to the sink, he washed the plates before setting them in the drying rack to dry. He could have used the dishwasher, but he wanted something to do. Then walking into the family room, he decided to put his sister's things away and then clear his own mess before placing their school bags on the counter in the kitchen. He then walked back into the family room and saw it was already nine fifty two. _'He'll be here any minute,' _the boy thought to himself.

Just then, he heard the front door being unlocked and opened, followed by footsteps coming in, and then the door being closed and locked once again.

Kira turned around when the footsteps echoed through the hall, and then stopped outside the family room. There, standing in the family room doorway, was Muruta with a vile smirk on his face. "Kira, I'm glad to see you're still awake." he said with a dark look in his eyes. "Now come here," he ordered. The boy complied and stepped across the room towards the man.

Kira felt his heart beat quicken and his eyes showed his fear of what would happen next.

Muruta reached into his pocket and pulled his hand out to be holding something. Kira stopped a few footsteps away from the man. His breathing quickened slightly as Muruta advanced on him. "Aren't you an obedient dog? Sometimes I wonder if you have any spirit left in you," the man spoke, his words like poison to the boy's ears.

The blonde man reached forward and grabbed Kira roughly by the shoulder before pulling him towards himself. Muruta twisted Kira around so that his back was to Muruta. The man then pulled the boy closer to him so he had a clear view of his neck. The blue eyed man then raised his other hand to reveal a syringe filled with a clear liquid which he promptly plunged the needle into a certain spot in the back of Kira's neck. The boy hissed in pain, making the smirk on Muruta's face turn into a twisted grin. The liquid inside the syringe was then injected into Kira's neck slowly, causing the boy to groan in pain.

It was then when his vision began to fog up and become hazy. His body felt his strength instantly receding, and his head felt heavy. Pain raced up and down his spine, going through his arms and chest and then his head. It only intensified when Muruta landed his first punch.

All Kira could contemplate was the pain, and the words Muruta was saying to him in that hateful voice of his. It was constant pain and suffering, for he didn't know how long. This was what happened nearly every night, Muruta would inject him with whatever the fuck it was, and his body would be reduced to a shell. He couldn't have fought back if he wanted to. All he felt was pain, echoing through his body.

And then, it began to fade, till all he could feel was the pain's echo still raging in his body, and the soft carpet beneath him. He heard Muruta leave the room after he said something, and he just laid there on the ground for a few minutes. Just breathing and trying to grow accustomed to the pain. Kira tried to get up, but his body wouldn't comply. _'I have to get up, damn it,'_ he ordered himself. He grit his teeth as he sat up and slowly got up onto his feet.

Kira then slowly and unsteadily made his way towards the hallway that led to his bedroom. He just barely made it to his door and opened it before a shockwave of pain rang through his body. The brown haired boy dragged himself to his bed, and fell down on it in exhaustion. He just wanted to sleep. Fall asleep and wake up from this nightmare.

Sleep came to him easily, and as soon as his brain shut down into sleep mode, the pain disappeared.

**I'm tired…so tired…it's freakin 5:40 am and I've been typing this all Tuesday and Wednesday morning! 13 pages, 9,608 words (I think,) and I can finally fall asleep! Not to mention my wonderful reviewers will be super happy! I've explained Kira's weakness against Muruta, got a Kira-Lacus moment, Kira found out about her cutting, there's a transfer student who has the hots for Cagalli, there was a scene with Athrun and Cagalli, and I updated! But since it's so long, I won't make any more super long chapters! Takes too much time and energy and time I can spend sleeping or typing other story chapters. I'll stick to the 6,000 give or take a few hundred lines.**

**Anyway, please find it in your hearts to review for me because I slaved over this all of my Tuesday! and I missed Inuyasha on AdultSwim for you people! And I missed the encore! Now show me some respect and review! (Starts throwing a temper tantrum) If you don't review…I'LL DO SOMETHING REALLY BAD TO THIS STORY! DON"T PUT IT PAST ME! Now please everybody, review!**

**Your tired authoress, Sam...ZZZZZZ...(Drool)...ZZZ**


	8. Athrun

**For You and I**

**_Disclaimer_**: I don't own Gundam Seed.

No! School starts on the 25 of august! I haven't finished my vacation! This is so unfair…And wow, I just love all of my readers to bits! And most of you love my story! I hope this chapter ain't too sucky in comparison to the others…In response to reviews, I'm aware Meer is acting disgusting and evil; I have things planned…and **Inulover4eva**, thanks for rubbing it in my face meanie! (Just joking ;) And **Shadow Chaser**…are you glad all my precious puppets-I mean characters- are all screwy in the head? Well I am, if they weren't I wouldn't be able to make this story so good! And thank you all you precious reviewers, you are what make this story so great!

**Chapter 8 Athrun** (Yes, finally we get a look into Athrun's life)

Athrun walked up the stone steps of his home in a reluctant manor. He didn't want to open the doors and enter the mansion, he didn't want to walk through the halls and up the stairs, he didn't want to pass their room, and then walk into his own room. But it was too late to turn back; his hand was already putting the key in the lock. Soon enough, his hand pulled the key back and opened the door.

Upon the door opening, a dog began to bark loudly and excitedly. The green eyed boy could hear the animal's claws clicking and sliding on the hardwood floors as it ran towards the front door. He sighed and closed the door behind him, locking it afterwards.

Just as he turned around, he saw a large flash of light gold fur before he crashed to the floor. The teen groaned from being under the creature's weight and sputtered when he felt a hot tongue licking his face affectionately. "All right, all right, I missed you too. Sheesh, damn dog." the boy said in a friendly tone.

The dog, seeming to understand what its master said, hoppfLenoreed off of the boy and waited expectantly for the boy to stand back up. Athrun stood and reached for his school bag, only for the dog to snatch it and run down the hall with it. "God damn it! Get back here you little brat!" he shouted in a falsely angry voice. The boy walked down the hall, following the dog and turned to go into the kitchen were the stupid animal was sure to be.

Sure enough, the dog was sitting in the kitchen by the fridge, Athrun's school bag in her jaws. "Lenore, give it to me." he ordered in a commanding voice. The dog obeyed, and Athrun sighed when he saw the dog slobber on his bag. "Good girl," he mumbled anyway, rubbing the dog's head and scratching her behind the ears.

He then stood and set his bag on the counter. He probably wouldn't touch it till Sunday night, maybe not even touch it at all, to do his assignments. The boy then opened the fridge and looked around before grabbing a bowl with plastic wrap over the top. He pulled it out and set it on the counter before turning back to the fridge and pulling out a can of soda and closing the fridge door.

Turning back to his meal, Athrun opened a drawer to pull out a fork and then with Lenore following him, he walked into the family room. The boy sat down and placed his items on the small stand next to the couch. He loosened his tie till it came off and slipped his blazer off his shoulders as well, leaving him in his collared black shirt and pants. Lenore knew better than to jump up onto the couch, so she curled up on the floor in front of her master. Athrun pulled the TV remote from in between the couch cushions where it usually fell and flipped to some random station he watched. He lazily dropped the remote on the couch again and grabbed the bowl and peeled off the plastic covering. Leftover dumplings from last night, yum.

Just because Athrun was a rich boy didn't mean he couldn't eat leftovers.

As he finished off the food in the bowl and watched whatever pointless show he was watching, the boy became bored. Very bored. He finished off his soda and attracted Lenore's attention by waving the last dumpling in front of her. She snatched it from his fingers and licked his hand quickly before chewing the treat. The blue haired boy sighed in slight disgust of dog saliva all over his hand and stood to go back to the kitchen, the dog trailing at his heels.

Leaving the bowl in the sink and tossing the can, he made his way through the hallway and up the stairs. But on his way up, he paused near the middle and up towards the hallway connected to the top of the stairs. Without warning, he remembered something from many years ago, back when he was just a little boy.

* * *

A younger version of Athrun stood near the bottom of the stairwell, dressed formally and fidgeting with his tie. His father stood next to him, tapping his foot impatiently and staring at his watch. He then looked up and shouted angrily, "Lenore, hurry up will you? If you delay us any longer we'll be late to the meeting!" The young Athrun furrowed his brow and glanced warily up at his father.

"All right, I'm coming!" a woman's voice yelled back.

Moments later, Athrun looked back up the stairs and gazed lovingly at his mother. His father looked on as well, but didn't show much interest. His mother smiled down at him and gracefully walked down the stairs. The dress she was wearing accented her body and fit her nicely, magnifying her beauty.

The dress itself was an emerald green that matched her eyes and made them sparkle more than ever. The dress had a very low cut neckline and curved up to her shoulders for the sleeves. The sleeves came down to her elbows and frilled out as though torn bits of cloth down to her wrists with translucent blue silk. A blue sash wrapped around her waist, also made of blue silk. The dress came down to her knees and had small three inch slits up the sides.

To accent her outfit, his mother had adorned a beautiful sapphire pendant that sparkled in the light and matched her sapphire earrings. The sapphires accented his mother's blue hair, and Athrun felt as though he was looking at a queen.

Athrun had never seen his mother this beautiful before, and was astounded. When the woman finally reached her son and husband, she smiled warmly at her child before giving the man a neutral look. "I'm ready, we can go now." she said in a tone of voice that suggested she was slightly annoyed. Athrun's father nodded and began to walk out the front door when Athrun stopped his mother for a moment.

"Mother, I think you look pretty tonight," he said with childish embarrassment for giving a compliment to a female.

Lenore brightened and gently placed her hand on her son's cheek in a motherly fashion.

"Thank you Athrun. You look very handsome tonight yourself." she stated warmly, kissing her son softly on the forehead.

* * *

Athrun blinked his eyes when he heard a dog bark questioningly. He looked down and saw his Golden Lab staring up at him expectantly. "Sorry, spaced out for a minute," he apologized. _'Great, now I spend my time talking to dogs. What'll I do next? Start telling the silverware about my day?'_ the boy thought in self embarrassment. He dropped the subject and finished running up the stairs with Lenore following him.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he turned down the hallway to the left and continued walking past all the other doors till he stopped at the end of the hallway at the last door. He reached out and turned the door knob to enter the room. He waited for Lenore to run in before he stepped in himself and closed the door.

The room was completely bare of all furniture, except for two small tables, and a folded up ladder. There was no carpeting; instead drop cloth covered the entire floor. On one of the tables sat many tubes of different colored paints and many different brushes. Lenore walked around the room once before returning to Athrun's side and following him as he walked over to that table and sat down cross-legged.

Taking a deep breath, he looked around the room at its four walls. Various scenes were painted on the walls, but there was a white area left on the wall. The boy then closed his eyes and sat still for a moment. He then opened his eyes and looked down at the colored tubes of paint. After selecting a few colors ranging from golden yellow to amber and to honey brown, he grabbed several brushes and a small pan and walked over to the bare spot on the wall.

Lenore followed him and he smiled in a warm way towards his companion. "Lenore, sit." he commanded gently. The golden lab obeyed quickly and sat up straight and kept still. She was even able to keep her otter-like tail from wagging.

Athrun took on a serious look and began examining the dog. Turning back to the wall, he un capped a saffron colored tube and squeezed the paint into the small pan before dipping in his brush and then running the utensil across the wall.

This carried on for some time, Athrun staring at the dog, then his wall, then looking back at the dog then to his paints to find the right color. Through all of this, neither made a sound. Lenore didn't stray from her upright position and Athrun never moved from his spot.

The blue haired boy paused for a moment to shake his hands and relieve some of the locking in his wrists. He then glanced back over at Lenore before picking up another tube and squeezing paint into the pan and re-dipping his brush. As he continued to paint, he couldn't help but remember the first time he painted. His mother was the one who inspired him to paint, and it was a fond memory he often thought of.

* * *

"Athrun, do you like to draw?" Lenore asked as she looked over at her son who was enjoying the lunch she'd made him. It was just a simple chicken soup, but his mother seemed to know how to add all the right ingredients to make it taste great. He pondered her question for a moment, and smiled at his mother.

"Yes, why do you ask?" he questioned, curiosity filling him.

"I was wondering if you'd like to paint something with me," she answered, a smile brightening up her face.

"Of course! What do you want to paint?" he asked excitedly.

Athrun didn't care what they were doing, as long as he got to spend time with his mother.

"I was thinking of painting the pool room…" she replied, her eyes gazing at her son with pride and love.

Athrun became excited and hyper in only moments.

"Really? Why do you want to paint that? What are we going to paint it?" he asked quickly.

"Settle down skipper. Once you finish your lunch we'll go down there and set up. All right?" she stated with a chuckle.

The young boy quickly finished his meal, drinking the broth from his bowl as well before placing his spoon and bowl on the counter by the sink. Lenore then stood and led her son down to the pool room.

They reached the room quickly and Athrun saw that his mother had all ready set down the drop cloth around the walls. The pool reflected their images in its clear, blue depths. Athrun followed his mother excitedly and stopped when she did. "All right, want you to put this smock on before anything, there." Lenore said to her son as she helped her son pull the thin fabric over his t-shirt. The smock was much too large and looked more like a robe than a smock on the little boy.

Lenore chuckled and led her son over to one side of the wall.

"What color are we painting the wall mother?" he asked curiously.

"We're going to paint it any and every color. You choose what to paint," the woman told him.

"We can paint anything?" Athrun asked in confusion.

"Yes, anything you want." Lenore answered.

Athrun eyed the wall, his mother, and then the small pile of paints and brushes on the floor. He contemplated for a moment which colors he wanted to use before grabbing a brush and a tube of dark blue paint.

"Have you decided?" Lenore asked curiously, wondering what her son wanted to do.

"Yes, I want to paint fish on the walls!" he declared with a large smile on his cute face.

"All right, you start over here, and I'll work over there. We'll see what we have after about an hour, all right?" the blue haired woman asked her son.

He nodded and they began their work.

After some time a little over an hour, Lenore stepped back and observed her work before glancing over at her son who was painting diligently. She walked over behind him quietly and looked over his work. He'd painted five fish already, and even though they were all different fish, they had one similarity. Their fins were white and wispy, like little wings made of clouds. Lenore leaned down so her face was close to her son's, and whispered gently, "What are your fish doing?"

"They're flying," Athrun stated without stopping.

He pulled his brush away and gazed at his latest fish. It was actually a large blue fish 'flying' next to a smaller, similar looking green fish. He smiled with pride as he looked over all his fish. Though they weren't perfect, or the best fish ever painted, they were beautiful in his eyes.

"You did a wonderful job Athrun," his mother said quietly, placing her arm around his shoulders.

Athrun felt pride swell inside him. Whenever his mother praised him, he took her words to heart. He listened to everything she said, and also what she didn't. The young boy broke away from his mother to walk slowly over to her side of the wall. As he was inspecting her work, his eyes widened and a wide smile lit his features.

His mother's creations looked so real, so life like. You could see, actually _see_, where light was reflecting off their scales. They really looked like fish, flying across the wall.

"Mother, these are great!" he exclaimed loudly, turning to look at her excitedly.

"Thank you Athrun. There's just one problem with them though…" she answered, looking thoughtfully at her work.

"What would that be?" the green eyed boy questioned curiously. His mother's art was perfect, so what could be wrong with them?

Turning to smile down at her son, Lenore cocked her head to the side.

"My fish can't fly without wings, want to help me give them wings?" she asked warmly.

Athrun stared up wide eyed at his mother. He could only nod as Lenore bent down to retrieve two tubes of white paint and thin brushes.

"Here, you can fix these two, and I'll get those, all right?" she asked him, handing him his supplies.

They began 'fixing' the fish, and after about twenty minutes, they stepped back to look at their work. Lenore reached an arm around her son's shoulders and hugged him close to her.

"You did very well Athrun. You just might be better than me someday," she spoke softly, yet seriously.

"I'll never be better than you Mother! But I might get almost as good as you!" the boy reasoned.

"All right. But don't be surprised when you wake up one morning and realize you're better!" his mother replied back with a chuckle.

* * *

Blinking his eyes, Athrun found himself back in the small room with his companion lying at his side. The golden lab whined softly and raised her head to place it on her master's leg. Athrun was sitting with his legs crossed and this gave the creature his knee to place her chin on. Her big brown eyes looked up at him lovingly and he smiled back down at her. He lifted his left hand and ruffled the dog's fur on her head.

He then turned to the wall to see he had finished the painting. The painted Lenore looked real enough to actually be his pet's twin. The 'dog's' fur looked real, as though just brushed. And its eyes shone the same honey brown as his own pet. They looked identical. Athrun frowned at his creation, disappointed. He took a sweeping glance around the room, feeling the disappointment grow.

On the opposite wall of which he'd been painting, many windows lined the wall. All different styles he'd painted. And each looked out at the same scene. But in each 'window', the scene was different. It might be sunny in one scene, and raining in another.

On the wall the doorway was planted in, there was a park scene as though the person looking at the park was standing partly behind a fountain. Through the water, one could see the misshapen forms of trees and a lamppost. He'd even painted the back of the door to be part of the fountain.

Then, looking at the far wall that held the only window in the room, you could see a cavern scene. The rocks were all shades of grays, blacks, blues, and even purples. Water dripped down the sides of the caves-which had taken the boy a few days to get right-and on the cave ceiling, bright, clear crystals hung down. A small flicker of light was in the center of the wall where the vanishing point was located.

Finally looking at the wall he had worked on, Athrun sighed. He'd painted several different still life scenes onto this wall. Like a chair against a wall, or a shell sitting on a table. He'd even painted an orchid standing in a tall vase which sat on a window sill. The orchid's petals had a few drops of water on them as if the flower had just been watered. There were other small scenes on the walls, and he glanced down to look at the one he'd just created of Lenore.

The boy sighed and glanced out the window. The sun had nearly set and since there was no light in the room, it had begun to grow dark. Athrun cast another glance around the room and turned to leave, Lenore trailing behind him. He opened the door, and the dog hurried out of the room. The boy cast a final look over his shoulder at the darkening room and turned away before closing the door. "I need white paint…" he mumbled aloud.

Athrun walked down the hall, past the stairway, and down the right hall way. But after passing a few doors, he could either go straight or turn down a hallway. He turned down the hall way and stopped at the only door. He opened it and Lenore bounded inside the room. Athrun stepped in and flicked the lights on.

When the lights came on, Athrun reached behind him and closed the door. He glanced to the other end of the room where his bed was, and saw Lenore had promptly jumped up and settled herself down at the foot of his bed. The boy sighed and walked towards the bed and sat down on the edge before falling on his back and staring up at the ceiling.

His room wasn't anything special, just an average room. His bed wasn't huge, but large enough to fit two people very comfortably, this he knew from _experience_. His carpeting wasn't some expensive piece of art, just plain dark gray carpeting. His walls were a dark, nearly black, red and various posters of celebrities that caught his interest were tacked up. There was also a calendar on the wall above his bed.

On the wall where the window was located, he'd hung up a framed canvas which held a picture of a waterfall. The water fell freely down a sharp slope of rock and landed in a large pool of water at the base of the rocks. A thin river led from the pool into the forest that surrounded the area. By the edge of the pool, two deer could be seen. One was a doe drinking from the pool, and the other was her young one. It was lying in a patch of tall grass, watching its mother attentively.

Athrun looked away and back up at his ceiling. His mother had given him that painting when he was eight years old as a present for his birthday. She'd painted it back when she was in college. She had gone hiking into the mountains an hour away from her school with her class. She'd stumbled onto the scene by accident, and had hidden herself so that she could sketch the scene without scaring away the deer. She'd painted it later after returning to the same spot to get the right colors. His mother had told him that story often, and she'd seen him admiring the picture many a time in her "office", so she gave it to him as a present.

The teen rolled onto his side to see Lenore watching him with an understanding look in her eyes. The creature then yawned and curled up again, placing her chin on her paws to fall asleep. Athrun sat up and stood. Walking across his room, he walked to another closed door and opened it before stepping in a flicking on the lights.

The light revealed the room to be a bathroom. It was nothing special, like Athrun's room. It had a large shower, a large bath, a toilet of course, and a double sink. The large mirror above the sink was just like any other bathroom mirror. The floor was basic blue and black tile, and the floors and ceiling were midnight blue. There was also a linen closet for storing towels and what not and there were two cupboards underneath the sink top. There were no windows in his bathroom though.

Closing the bathroom door behind him, Athrun lifted his black shirt up and over his head. He walked over to the sink and bracing himself against the black marble ledge, he stared at himself in the mirror. He didn't like what he saw.

His green eyes used to be innocent and kind, just like his mother's. Now they were cold and darker. His face had hardened and his jaw was firm. When he was younger, his mother used to tease him that he looked like a little angel with his cute face. Athrun would always turn red in embarrassment and pout angrily, only for his mother to laugh and pinch his cheek like his aunt did.

Shaking his head slightly and letting his raven-blue hair rest on his cheeks, he looked back up again, seeing himself for what he was. He was an ignorant young man who thought of himself to be superior to others. He had cold, cruel eyes that always brought down those who tried to be defiant with him. As much as he hated it, as much as it pained and scared him, over eight years, he was becoming like his father.

Breaking his gaze with his reflection, he turned around and removed his pants and socks, leaving him in nothing but his boxers. He walked over to the shower and opened the glass door to turn it on to a bearable hot before stepping away and closing the door. He waited for a minute before stripping his last piece of clothing and entered the hot shower awaiting him.

Standing under the steaming water, Athrun felt his mind come to a soothing halt. His hair slicked against his face and sticking to his cheeks was an uncomfortable feeling, so he brushed them away. He grabbed his shampoo and began rubbing it into his scalp, closing his eyes to prevent soap from getting into his eyes. He rinsed it out and then began washing his body.

As he rinsed himself, he brushed his hand over his left arm across his elbow. His eyes flickered as he stared at the scar there. He remembered getting that when he was only seven. He'd gone camping with his mother as a birthday present. His father couldn't come because he had had to work, but he wouldn't have gone anyway. This Athrun was sure of, even as a child. But he had fun with his mother, almost as much fun he'd had painting the pool room with her.

* * *

"Athrun, don't run so far ahead!" Lenore called after her little boy as he zipped through the trees, overly-hyper.

"All right!" he answered back quickly.

The boy ran back to his mother and they trekked through the forest side by side.

As they walked, they stopped to admire certain pieces of scenery. Lenore even stopped them for a few minutes at a time so she could sketch a few areas in a sketchbook. When she did this, she'd sit on a rock or even the dirt and grass ground so her son could watch over her shoulder.

The pair traveled further into the woods, finding more beautiful landscapes and streams. One stream they found was too wide to jump across, but had rocks going through it. Lenore frowned worriedly as she inspected the first rock. "Athrun, be very careful, these rocks may be slippery," the woman warned.

"All right mother," the boy replied back.

Lenore took the first step down, and balanced herself on a large rock. She then turned and reached towards her son. Athrun reached out and clasped her hand in his and slowly tried to step down to where she was standing. But just as his right foot was on the rock, his left foot slipped, and he pulled himself and his mother into the water.

The boy scraped his arm against a sharp rock stuck at the bottom of the stream. Luckily the water was only knee-deep, so Lenore didn't get her bag holding her sketchbook, first-aid kit, and their water bottles wet.

"Athrun, are you all right?" she asked worriedly as she lifted her son to his feet. He was soaking wet since he'd fallen backwards into the water, and his hair looked like a mess.

"Yes, I just hurt my arm," he answered, his right hand clutching his elbow.

"Let's get onto solid ground first, and I'll take a look at it." she said calmly.

When the two reached the opposite bank of the stream, Lenore helped her son get up first, and then lifted herself up.

"All right, let's take a look cadet," she suggested in a comforting voice.

She reached into her bag after slipping it off her shoulders and pulled out the first-aid kit. She opened it and reached in for disinfectant and grabbed a sanitary cloth. Turning to her son and inspecting the small scrape, she sighed softly in relief that it was nothing serious. Unscrewing the disinfectant cap, she placed the cloth over the opening and quickly turned the bottle upside down before making it right side up once more. Lenore then rubbed the cloth over Athrun's scrape; the boy winced slightly from the sting.

After cleaning the scrape, she reached back into the kit and pulled out a small roll of bandages which she wrapped around his elbow carefully so he'd still be able to bend his arm with ease. Afterward, she put everything back in the kit, and put that in her bag once more.

"There, you can now return to the battle field, soldier." she said in a playful teasing voice.

"Yes ma'am!" he replied back, saluting playfully.

The woman chuckled and stood, taking her son's hand in her own and began leading them through the forest once again.

* * *

The teenager shook his head roughly, as though ordering the memories out of his head. He didn't want to think of those memories; he didn't want to remember how things used to be. If he did, he'd begin to compare what things were like now and how he'd never be able to change anything. His shield of anger and hatred would melt away, and he'd be left cold and vulnerable.

Athrun growled and slammed his fist against the shower wall. His hand quivered slightly, and he felt a slight pain in his knuckles, but he was used to that. He sighed and relaxed his body. The hot water hitting his back felt soothing. Athrun stood up straight and sighed, closing his eyes and allowing the water to travel down his body.

After a few moments, he reached out and turned the water off. He then stepped out of the shower and walked over to the linen closet. He opened it and pulled out two towels. One he tied around his waist, and the other he used to towel dry his hair.

A few minutes later, he walked back into his room, completely dry-excluding his damp hair. He still had a towel around his waist, but when he reached his dresser, he let it fall to the floor so he could slip on his boxers. He then opened another drawer and pulled out a red t-shirt. He slipped that over his head and then walked towards his door. He turned off the lights and walked back towards his bed.

Falling onto the mattress, he didn't even bother getting under the blankets. He laid his head on his pillow and closed his eyes. He didn't open his eyes when he heard small somethings hitting his window. He knew it was just simply rain, but then a flash of lightning lit up his room with an eerie blue glow. It subsided quickly and was followed by thunder, and the boy opened his eyes.

A memory he'd wished to forget jumped to the front of his mind.

Sitting up, Athrun balanced his elbows on his knees and held his head in his hands. The golden lab at his feet had awoken when her master sat up, and she turned her head to glance his way. Athrun didn't acknowledge her, his mind was too occupied trying to ignore what he was thinking about, but it was a fruitless struggle.

* * *

A nine year old Athrun kneeled in front of a grave stone. It was raining heavily and he was soaked, but he didn't care. The rain mingled with his tears on his cheeks and his body trembled from his silent sobs. The rain slammed down onto the ground, nearly crushing the small bouquet at the foot of the gravestone. The young boy looked up and reached out gently to trace the carved writing in the stone. His fingertips stroked the rough stone, and he bit his lip to keep himself from making his cries audible.

He looked over his shoulder when the rain stopped slamming into him. His father stood, towering over him and holding his umbrella over himself. Athrun was only avoiding the rain because the umbrella was too large the just fit his father.

The boy's broken emerald eyes stared into his father's cold, gray ones. (Not sure what color Patrick Zala's eyes are, so bare with me) The man looked down at the boy with disgust. "Athrun, wipe those tears off your face. Real men don't cry, and no son of mine will be making a mockery of me." he ordered coldly.

"But, Father…It's the anniversary," the boy said timidly, only to be cut off.

"Athrun…Do not disgrace me, even in a place like this. You can't show your weaknesses to anyone, understand?" he demanded in a steely voice.

"But Father," he tried again.

"Understand?" Patrick repeated angrily.

"Y-yes father. I understand," the boy answered, looking down at the ground, keeping his gaze away from his father's cold eyes.

Suddenly, Athrun was pelted by the rain again. He glanced over his shoulder and saw his father's retreating form as he left the cemetery. The boy sent him a hateful glare, and looked down at the grave. He allowed his tears to fall once again, but let them drip off his cheeks before closing his eyes. Placing his hand on the tombstone, he whispered a few words of prayer, and walked away slowly, never looking back. "Farewell, Mother…" Athrun whispered so softly, the rain was able to drown out his voice.

* * *

Looking up, Athrun felt something warm and wet under his eyes. Bringing a hand up to his cheek and wiping his eyes, he felt the wetness coming from his eyes. "I'm…_crying_?" he asked himself in disbelief. Something soft rubbed against his arm and he looked down to his side to find Lenore rubbing her head against his arm. He allowed her to lift his hand and let it sit on top of her head. His fingers gently stroked her soft fur, and he sighed.

Getting up off of his bed, he walked across his room to his door and opened it. He stepped out and glanced over his shoulder to see his companion getting ready to follow him. He shook his head once, and the creature returned to the foot of his bed and curled up to fall asleep again. Turning away, Athrun then began walking down the hall.

When he reached the two halls, he took a left and walked down the hall he'd avoided earlier. When he came to two mahogany double doors, he hesitantly reached out and rested his palm on the French door handle. He took a breath and opened one of the doors to slip inside the room, and closed the door behind him.

The room wasn't completely dark thanks to two large windows in the wall across the room. Along the wall to the right of the doorway sat a large, king sized bed. The comforter had many intricate designs that reminded Athrun of an ancient Japanese emperor's robe. It was made of heavy red silk and the designs were made of gold, black, white, and dark green thread. The pillows were a dark red and had similar designs as the comforter. The blankets underneath the comforter were soft red silk; he knew this since he'd crawled into bed with his mother after waking from a nightmare or something childish like that.

The furniture in the room was made of mahogany wood like the doors, and some even had carvings in the sides of animals. There was a large changing screen near the bed, and the reeds had the image of a crane standing in water with reeds around its feet. The drapes that usually hung closed over the windows were a dark red silk and had hand painted Japanese cranes flying across them. The drapes also had a gold trim which seemed to glow whenever lightning lit the room.

There was another set of double doors on the wall to the left of the doorway that led to the large bathroom. Near those doors was a medium sized dresser but stretched for a good six feet. A large screen TV was placed on the dresser.

Athrun walked hesitantly towards the bed, and stopped when he reached the right side. He stared at the pillows intensely, as though willing himself to picture someone lying there. But no one was there, and Athrun averted his eyes. Instead, he looked down at the nightstand next to the bed. A small lamp sat in the middle, its shade was made of a dark red material. His hand traced the nightstand wood, as though remembering things that had once been there. His fingers found an old stain that had been caused by a glass of water that sat there all night. His hand lowered and opened the small drawer the nightstand held, and he felt around inside it till he found what he was looking for

He took his hand out, drawing out a glasses case as well. He opened the case carefully and took out the thin framed lens and set the case down on the nightstand. His fingertips floated over the glasses, and his eyes scanned over them. His mother used to wear these when painting or reading, but when she finally got contact lens, she just used her glasses for late night reading. He picked the case back up and placed the glasses inside.

Placing the case back in the small drawer, he dug through it once more till his hand found something, so he pulled that out. It was an old book his mother used to read over and over again. She'd read it so many times, when he was little he'd ask her to tell him certain chapters as bedtime stories. A thin smile crept onto his face when he cracked open the old book, and flipped through the yellowing pages gently.

His mother would always tell him how old and precious the book was, but let him handle it anyway. She told him she trusted him to be careful with it. She'd also told him the story how she had gotten it. His mother had only been twelve, and was visiting her grandmother. Lenore had been going through her grandmother's library when she found this book tucked in with other old, dusty paperbacks. She spent days reading it, and when she finished, she'd asked if she could keep it. Of course her grandmother said it was all right.

As Athrun flipped through the pages, the book suddenly flipped open and stayed open in a certain spot. There was an old, leather book mark clinging to the connection between the pages. His fingers traced the soft leather. It was colored a faded light blue, but that was not its true color. It had once been midnight blue, but after so many years of use, the color faded into the hands of those using it. It was even older than the book.

Thunder clapped outside, and the boy placed the book back in the desk sadly. His mother had tried to finish it before she…but she didn't. There were only two chapters left. Athrun sighed softly and walked to the other side of the bed. He pulled the comforter back gently and carefully, and then the silk blankets. He slipped under them and slid towards the middle of the bed.

The blue haired teen then got himself comfortable, and pulled a pillow from the right side towards him. He pulled it closer towards his body and breathed in a large breath of air through his nose. _'After all this time, I still know her scent…'_ he thought silently before slipping into a silent slumber.

* * *

Athrun walked down the halls slowly and quietly. His bare feet making no noise on the thick carpet. His green eyes were filled with worry, and his hands shook. As he neared his destination, he felt his heart begin to beat faster. His small form reached the mahogany double doors, and his small hand reached out to open a door. It opened easily.

He stepped inside and closed the door silently. Turning around, he saw his parents' bed, and lying on the right side was his mother. Her eyes were closed, but she wasn't sleeping. The eight year old boy walked closer to stand by the right side of the bed. He watched his mother's face for a few moments, before reaching out hesitantly to take her hand in his. He couldn't feel the blood pulsing through her veins, but the rise and fall of her chest assured him she was alive. "M-Mother?" he asked shakily, his emerald orbs worried and concerned.

Relief flooded over him when similar green eyes opened and glanced over at him. His mother smiled painfully.

"Athrun," she mumbled, never taking her eyes off her little boy.

"Mother, I saw a sparrow sitting on the window sill earlier this morning. It was still long enough for me to sketch it, but I don't think it looks very good." he said, a worried smile on his face.

"Darling, I'm sure it looks wonderful. Did you do anything else this morning?" she asked softly, her voice seemed to be growing weaker.

"Yes, I made a small sketch of the lilac bushes you planted. I made it really fast, so it's not that good," he said, reaching into his pant's pocket and pulling out a small square of folded paper.

He unfolded it and handed it to his mother. She took it into her hands gently and gazed at the sketch. Her eyes lit up and her smile reached her eyes.

"It's beautiful Athrun. You've improved greatly. I can't wait to see it painted…" she whispered gently.

"Thank you Mother," he replied back with a grin on his face.

"Athrun…?" his mother asked gently as she handed his paper back to him.

He folded it and put it back in his pocket before answering.

"Yes?" he asked curiously.

"Athrun, I wanted to tell you that I'm so, proud of you. You're such a wonderful child," Lenore spoke, her eyes filling with tears.

The boy didn't know how to respond, so he just clasped his mother's hand in his own. He was a bit surprised when his mother gripped his small hand tightly in her grasp.

"Athrun, I also want you to know something very important. Always know that I love you, my beautiful baby boy…" she whispered almost silently.

Athrun watched her with wide eyes as tears streaked down her cheeks. She lifted a hand and placed it gently on his cheek. Her soft fingertips traced his cheek, as though memorizing it. Her gaze seemed to be fading with her voice.

"I love you too, Mother." the boy replied back, smiling at his mother and unaware of what she was truly saying.

"…My beautiful baby boy…" she whispered.

Her hand fell from his cheek and she closed her eyes. Her chest only rose and fell once more, but didn't rise again. Athrun's eyes widened and he felt his breathing hitch in his throat. He didn't believe what he was seeing. He couldn't, wouldn't…

"FATHER!" he screamed frightfully.

* * *

Tears slowly leaked from the teen's closed eyes and drifted down his cheeks. His words were mumbled into the pillow, and he sounded as though he was choking on sobs. Though he thought it was a nightmare, wished, it were a nightmare, it was truly a memory. The worst one he had in his mind. The one memory that seemed to haunt him when he didn't want to even thin about it. The only thought in his head about his mother he wished to forget.

**Okay, I'll stop here cuz it's late and I'm tired, and I would have updated sooner if there hadn't been a thunder and lightning storm that didn't cut the power but messed with the internet connection. Stupid storm…**

**Anyway, in this chapter, it was all about Athrun and his past. I hope this chapter wasn't too bad or anything, I'm not as proud of it as I was proud of chapter 7, not to mention I made Athrun act totally different from his usual bastard self…But I think all those people who want Athrun to be a nice guy will be glad to know he wasn't born evil, just turned evil, so there's a good chance he'll have a good turn around…Well, I know whether or not that happens since I've got the whole story planned out! Hahaha! And you won't find out what happens next unless you review!**

**And on a funny note-Though I missed Inuyasha and the encore, my friend's been recording the episodes since forever, so I just marched on over to her house at 6am. Her older sister let me in so I won't be sent to jail for breaking and entering. I just hit my friend till she woke up, and then got her to turn the episode on. So it's all good and we all got what we want!**

**Ps. Thank you all you reviewers! You make writing this story worth while, thank you so much! I love you all! (Yes, even those who read and don't review) This story is already past 7200 hits! And only 7 chapters so far! (Not including this one)**


	9. Saturday

**For You**

**_Disclaimer_**: Kinda pointless to keep posting this, so…I WILL NEVER OWN GUNDAM SEED. SOMEONE ELSE DOES, AND I'M VERY JEALOUS. All right, that applies to all chapters from now till the end of the story.

SORRY THIS IS SOO LATE! I GOT GROUNDED FIRST, AND THEN I GOT CAUGHT UP IN SCHOOL STUFF! I SWEAR EIGHTH GRADE IS MURDER ON THE BRAIN, AND MY TIME ON THE COMPUTER! SORRY!

I'm glad you liked chapter 8; personally I was a bit nervous, thinking you'd all think it wasn't as good as other chapters. **Kageharu Kaco**, I'm sorry! It totally blew out of my mind that her name was Lenore, thanks for pointing that out. I'm such a ditz! I just went back an edited that little mistake, heheh. **amanda**, thank you for pointing all that out. I do like to point out the obvious…I guess I just go overboard, huh? And I know my sentence structure isn't very good, I never really have anytime to actually fix it up. My English teacher just reads what we write, points out one or two spelling or grammar areas, and otherwise says "Great job! I'm glad you wrote this piece and your dogs didn't get at them!" So no help there. I guess I'm going to a backwater school…lol. I'll try to improve. And **Shadow** **Chaser**, I can't make all my characters' backgrounds screwy; it would make screwy backgrounds last season, lol. Oh, **demonz8000**, interesting idea… (Rubs hands in a scheming way) Finally, **Little Krissi**, I do appreciate your review, I guess my story is full of that slashing angst everyone likes writing about. I'm not at all affected negatively by your review, but I am curious, is it wrong to want to hide your pain and scars? Some people hide things like that because when they hide it from others; they can make themselves believe that nothing is wrong, even if it is. It makes them forget their pain if only for a while so they can have at least one moment to forget all the bad things, and try to be happy.

Oh crap, I was rambling with this Author's Note…Oh well, most people just skip to the story anyway, lol. Oh, and I'm putting in some more Miriallia than any of you probably want, but that's just too bad.

**Chapter 9 Saturday**

Sunlight dripped through the dark curtains in the room, sending small beams of light towards the bed. Lavender eyes opened slowly, and blinked once before falling into focus. Turning from his stomach onto his side, Kira took in a deep breath before yawning. He stared at the wall for a few moments, wondering if he could fall asleep again.

After the first few minutes of silence and wall staring, Kira groaned to himself and sat up. But he cringed when he tried to get out of bed. He took a moment to breathe deeply and stifle the pain, before he slowly lifted his shirt. When he could see his stomach, he felt his breath catch in his chest. Dark bruises littered his front.

The brunette lifted his shirt from his body and looked down at his chest and winced. Along his chest were bruises, both dark and red. One looked a darkish red, and when he lifted his hand to gingerly run his finger tips over it, he hissed in pain. '_Probably a broken rib_,' he thought to himself.

Kira mustered up his strength and got up out of bed, trying not to irritate his injuries. Sending a quick glance over at the clock, he saw it was only half past eight. It was Saturday, so Cagalli was probably sleeping in, and Muruta worked all day on the weekends. He knew he wasn't really fully awake, so he walked towards his bathroom. His mind was set on a nice hot shower to soothe his aching body.

* * *

Miriallia hurriedly pulled her clothes out of her dresser, trying desperately not to make any noise to wake her sister who slept soundly in her bed. The cat was watching Mir with bored eyes as the auburn haired teen pulled on an orange t-shirt over her white bra. She then pulled on a pair of faded jeans and sat on her bed to get her socks on. Before she left the room though, she grabbed a pair of white fingerless gloves and slipped them on before leaving her room.

The girl hurried through the house till she came to the front door. Ray was probably in the shower, so he'd be leaving for work soon, but she was running late for her ride. Slipping on her sneakers, the teen rushed to the door and slipped out quietly, trying not to slam the door.

Looking towards the street, she felt herself sigh in relief. A black car sat on the road in front of her house and a boy in his late teens was leaning against the passenger side door. When he saw her, he smirked and nodded in her direction. Mir narrowed her eyes as she hurried down the driveway towards the boy.

She was standing in front of him in a matter of moments and looked him over with a critical eye. His wavy, shoulder length brown hair was pulled into a low ponytail and strands of chestnut fell over his forehead. She could remember when he kept his hair short back in elementary school. His eyes were a light blue and stood out from his slightly tanned face. His clothes consisted of a black t-shirt with the Japanese kanji for fire over the front in spidery calligraphy and baggy black pants with chains dangling from his belt and pockets. On his feet were worn, black sneakers.

"Am I that good looking all you can do is stare at my flawlessness?" the boy joked, chuckling at the girl's visual inspection.

"You wish Tolle." Mir replied.

The boy smirked and waved his hand, "Whatever you say princess." he answered back.

The girl scowled and got in the car while Tolle walked around the front to the driver's side. He got in the car and started the ignition before driving off down the road and making a left turn.

The two were silent for a while, until Tolle spoke up, "So, how's Miss Scholarship Winner doing at her new school?"

Mir kept her gaze out the window, "All right." she stated with a hint of annoyance in her voice. She really hated these rides to work on her Saturdays.

"Sheesh, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed! Here I am acting like I care and crap and you just answer me with 'All right?" the brown haired boy asked, the hint of a grin at the corners of his mouth.

"Well, there's not much to say except that most of the students are rich, arrogant, disgusting, spoiled brats. Well, except my friends Kira and Lacus." Mir added.

Tolle nodded and made another turn, "Anyone you particularly want to draw and quarter before sticking their heads on a pike? I know it's impossible for you not to hate at least somebody." he pointed out with a smirk.

Mir groaned, her mind instantly thinking to Zala and his goons. But her memory lingered for awhile on the blonde haired boy who'd been staring up her skirt while she was cleaning windows. "Three." she stated in a slightly edgy voice.

Tolle smirked, "Do I wanna know the details?" he asked jokingly.

A glare from the auburn haired girl as he made an abrupt stop at a red light caused him to chuckle.

"They're these rich boys who have nothing better to do than to make their fun off of tormenting others, especially Kira. In fact, they even get physically violent and Kira doesn't say a thing. And recently one of them, Athrun Zala, has taken a liking to harassing Kira's little sister who's still in middle school! In fact, she even tried to fight him a few days ago, and I let myself into the brawl and got this black eye from Zala's punch. Of course she was able to punch that bastard pretty good, for being fourteen," The aqua eyed girl mused to herself.

Tolle rolled his eyes, "You haven't changed much I guess. I was sure getting that scholarship would go to your head." he added. A few minutes of silence passed, and Miriallia removed her gaze from the window to look out the windshield at the road ahead of them. "How's Katie doing?" Tolle asked with a bit of hesitance in his voice.

The question made the girl freeze for a moment, and her eyes drifted back towards the window. "She's all right," she mumbled.

"Has she been to a doctor recently?" Tolle asked, his voice having lost the playfulness and now filled with concern and seriousness.

"Yeah, just after school on Monday." Mir answered quietly.

Tolle sent a quick glance towards the girl; he still had to watch the road. "What did the doctor say?" he asked curiously.

"He said it was too early to tell if the medication was working. But she seems a little bit better. I think, but she's really tired lately, and she's coughing more now," the girl explained, her voice slowly growing smaller.

They rode in silence the rest of the drive, Tolle sending chaste glances towards the girl while she kept her eyes trained on the window, not what was flying by outside, keeping her thoughts to herself. In a matter of ten or so minutes, they pulled into the large parking lot of the Masaki Mall. Tolle parked in the employee's section and he and Mir stepped out of the car before walking side by side towards the employee's entrance.

"Well, here goes a Saturday…" Tolle sighed gently, Mir scowling at his remark as she unlocked the entrance door with her cardkey.

The two stepped inside the mall, the door closing and automatically locking behind them.

* * *

Kira stepped out of the bathroom, his hair still wet and his shoulders and the back of his neck dripping water down his back. A simple white towel was wrapped around his hips and he held another towel in his hands. Stopping in front of his dresser, the brunette brought up the towel and quickly towel dried his hair. When he pulled the towel away, he caught his reflection in the small mirror that sat atop the dresser.

His short brown locks were sticking up in odd angles from the towel. Kira gently ran a hand her brother's body had caught her eyes quickly. "Through his hair, feeling the cool dampness of it. It was an odd sensation on his warm palm, but it felt nice.

Opening the drawers, he pulled out his clothes and let the towel drop to the floor before he quickly pulled on clothes over his lower half. As he was pulling on his shirt, he heard his bedroom door open and small padding of feet slowly stepping into the room. Pulling the light gray long sleeved shirt over his bruised and beaten chest, he turned his head to see his little sister standing in the doorway with a tray in her hands.

"Morning Kira," she greeted brightly, albeit a little uncertain with a hint of concern in her eyes. The new bruises on I tried making breakfast for you," she added, walking towards his bed and setting the tray on the black sheets.

Kira smiled warmly, and as he turned, his right hand moved over to his left hand and pulled the sleeve down a bit further till it nearly reached his knuckles. He didn't want any chances of her seeing the gradually healing cut on his left wrist. "Really? And you didn't make the oven explode?" he asked with a grin tugging on his lips.

Cagalli blushed in embarrassment, recalling a distant memory. When they were younger, and still living with the Amalfi family, Kira, Nicol and she had been baking cookies, and somehow she'd messed with the oven and the machine nearly exploded. Of course, the cookies were the only casualties, besides her dignity and small skills in cooking.

"I didn't use the oven, I used the stove," she retorted, narrowing her eyes slightly in playful anger.

Kira held up his hands defensively, "Ok, ok, don't have a heart attack will ya?" he asked as he walked towards her. Cagalli couldn't help the smile that crept up to her lips.

Looking down at the small breakfast his sister had obviously spent some time on so it didn't turn into ash, Kira smiled. She'd actually managed to make scrambled eggs and pancakes even. The older teen looked down at his sister who was awaiting his approval with hopeful eyes.

"Just try it! It's not like I poisoned it!" she stated, watching her brother sit down on his bed and pick up the fork she'd placed on the tray by the plate.

Kira warily stabbed the fork through the eggs, and lifted the utensil to his mouth. He eyed it for a moment, '_Looks can be deceiving_…' he thought to himself before risking everything and placing the eggs in his mouth. Just to put his sister through nervous torture, he chewed thoughtfully and waited before swallowing.

He flashed the blonde girl a smile of approval before adding, "I think you just might be on to something here! You may have finally discovered the art of cooking!" he exclaimed.

Cagalli grinned in relieved pride.

"Now, next step is learning whether or not you can do the laundry from now on…" Kira stated with a joking light in his eyes. The blonde girl glared and he chuckled before taking another bite of eggs.

* * *

Miriallia sighed as she wrapped the dark blue smock over her clothes. She had to open up the Pharmacy and then work the register till ten. Then she had to rush off to her next job on the other side of the building. Her Saturdays were always so hectic.

The only other person at the Pharmacy that early was Mr. Robertson, but he was the manager and had to be there that early. He was currently looking through a ledger of products and walking down the small aisles, checking the merchandise. The man grunted to acknowledge her as she began to turn on the register. The auburn haired teen was used to his personality, and found she rather liked it that he was so unsocial than he being as perky and giddy as a seven year old girl. She had one too many of those.

Mr. Robertson walked into the back room and left Miriallia in the front of the store. The girl leaned her elbows against the counter, tapping her foot silently against the floor tiles. Today was going to be another hectic, yet still boring Saturday.

* * *

Athrun grumbled when he heard the sound of a phone ringing. Sleepily, he raised his arm from under the silken sheets to grope around on the nightstand till he found the phone. "Hello?" he asked groggily.

"Yo." the other voice answered back.

The bluenette groaned and rolled over on his back. Glancing at the clock in the phone, he saw it read 7:33 AM. "Dearka, what the fuck do you want at this goddamned hour of the morning?" the boy demanded in an annoyed voice. It wasn't like Dearka to be up this early. And he wasn't usually this irritable in the mornings, but he'd had a fitful sleep. So he blamed his nightmares that he was too stubborn to admit he was reduced to a crying child when he experienced them.

"Jeez, someone woke up in the wrong girl's bed this morning!" The blonde boy joked, unfazed by his friend's attitude.

"What do you want Elthman?" The blue haired boy demanded again, sitting up in bed this time.

"I just wanted to ask if you were going to the party tonight. And if you wanted to hit the mall in an hour or so with me and Yzak." The tanned skinned boy explained.

Athrun groaned, Dearka really knew how to sound like a girl. "Yea, I'll be at the party. And no, I'd rather save myself the embarrassment of being seen at the mall with you." the boy replied back before rudely pressing the off button and hanging up on his friend.

The boy groaned sleepily as he slipped out of his parent's bed. He carefully folded the sheets and it looked as though no one had ever touched the bed. Athrun then made his way out of the room, and began heading towards his own room. It was true he didn't want to go to the mall, but that was because he had to go to the General Store and buy paint. Lots and lots of white paint.

As he walked into his room, Lenore jumped off his bed and rushed up to her master, her nose rubbing against his hand in a loving way. "Morning," he mumbled, the smallest hint of a grin on his lips. The dog whined in a happy tone and sat down as the boy walked towards his dresser. He pulled out a clean pair of boxers and a clean, white undershirt. He slipped off the clothes he was wearing, and then slipped on the new clothes. Afterward, he walked towards his closet and grabbed a collared navy shirt and a pair of dark blue, tight fitting jeans.

When he was done dressing, he decided to head down for breakfast. Lenore followed after him quickly and couldn't help nearly tripping him as they walked down the stairs.

* * *

Mir was very bored standing behind the counter. She was thankful for the stool Mr. Robertson had brought out for her after the first few minutes. She was wondering if he knew it would be a slow day that day. '_Well even if he didn't, it's always slow here_…' the girl thought to herself.

It was true. When the mall had opened, only old folk had come in at first, and then once it hit eight thirty, adults, parents mainly, started coming in to get their shopping out of the way before the teenagers swam in and set bad examples for their impressionable, bratty kids. And during her time in the Pharmacy, she'd only filled prescriptions for an old man and two old women who were talking about how the youth these days was nothing like the kids back when.

Miriallia sighed out loud and watched as people walked by. A little boy being pulled by the hand by his mother glanced over at her and stuck his tongue out. The teenager returned the gesture immaturely.

She was brought back to her senses when she heard a voice calling her. "Miss? Excuse me, young lady?" Miriallia looked in front of her in surprise as though a penguin just dumped a bucket of ice down her pants.

"I'm sorry, how may I help you?" she asked with that fake joyfulness in her voice most store employees developed at an early stage in their career.

The man in front of her looked to be in his late fifties. His clothes looked like they came from the 1920s, and his glasses were so thick she wondered just how bad his eyesight really was. He was staring at her as though he'd never seen a teenage girl before, but then his hand pushed something on the counter towards her. When Mir glanced down, she felt a hot blush come up to her ears.

She automatically reached out and took the small box and scanned it. The price rang up on the register screen, and the man held out his credit card. Mir scanned that to and placed the box in a small, white plastic bag before handing the items to the man. He was staring at her chest, and Mir didn't like the look in his eyes, it reminded her too much of Tolle's look whenever he read one of his "dirty" magazines. "Thank you young lady," the man said with a nod before walking out of the pharmacy.

As soon as he left, Miriallia felt herself exhale in relief and slight mental horror. The old man had just purchased a box of condoms and had been looking at her that whole time she rang them up with a look similar to what she thought to be lust. '_Ugh…I don't even want to think about what he's doing anytime soon_,' she stated to herself in a disgusted tone.

No one else really came in after that, just people coming in, looking around, and then leaving. After a few minutes passed, Mir looked up at the large wall clock on the other side of the Pharmacy. The clock read five to ten. '_If Cass doesn't get here in time, I'm gonna be late_…' The girl thought to herself worriedly.

As the next two minutes slowly ticked by, Mir kept glancing towards the Pharmacy entrance, hoping that someone would arrive. It was only one minute to ten when a girl with bouncy black hair and bright blue eyes strolled slowly into the Pharmacy. After her first two steps, Miriallia had already ripped the smock off. "Cass, you're late!" she hissed angrily as she ran into the back room and hung up her smock. Mr. Robertson looked up from his clipboard to watch the teen as she hung up the smock.

"Bye Mir." he muttered before returning to his ledgers.

The girl ran out the door and raced out of the Pharmacy, pausing just long enough to glare at Cass before exiting the nearly empty store. As soon as she was out, she began walking at a brisk pace—well, running—towards the other end of the mall. '_Another Saturday started by running through a mall_,' she grumbled to herself, reaching the entrance to an upper-class looking clothing store.

Walking in through the entrance, Mir was immediately met by a tall woman wearing a tan silk suit. Her face was stern, but she didn't look angry—yet. "Miriallia, you were almost late again." she began, before turning to lead the girl further into the store.

"Sorry, Ma'am," the girl apologized. "I was held up at the Pharmacy—"

"There are no excuses! Rhea's employees are never late, or close to it." the woman interrupted with an icy tone.

Miriallia sighed as the two walked into the back room of Rhea's. The woman glared at Miriallia's clothing before sighing and silently walking away. Mir contemplated giving the woman "the finger" while her back was turned, but thought better of it. She walked towards the small locker area and opened the one with her name taped to the door. Opening it, she pulled out the red vest with the Rhea's Employee insignia on the right pocket. Above it was the small, plastic nametag with her name printed in bold, black writing. She pulled on the vest over her orange t-shirt and hurried out of the back room to start her hour-and-a-half shift.

That was the only thing about job hopping at the Masaki Mall. You didn't have to work a full four hours to be paid for you shift. In fact, the pay was the only reason she actually stuck with the jobs she had. Miriallia didn't really have a choice in the matter of what job she had, as long as it paid well, and was legal.

Unfortunately for her, Rhea's was pretty much the most popular, successful, and expensive clothing store around, especially since Rhea's stores were only located in areas with plenty of wealthy families with spoiled kids. Mir could complain about the fact she listened to girls—and guys—whine in dressing rooms saying they were smaller or bigger than they really were, but she couldn't complain about the pay. And since she usually knew what the spoiled brats wanted just by looking at them, she was a successful salesperson, and she earned a very generous commission for every sale she made.

As soon as the auburn haired girl walked out of the back room, she saw a group of girls walk into the store. They looked to be giggling idiots. But all Miriallia could see them as while she was beginning work was cash ready for picking. Putting on her fake smile, she walked towards them with every intention of showing them the showiest, most expensive clothing in the store. It wasn't wrong to try and make a profit from the advantages of your job and manipulate stupid girls into buying expensive clothing, now was it?

* * *

Dearka drove his red corvette into the Masaki Mall parking lot. He glanced around till he found an acceptable parking spot. After parking and locking his car, the tan skinned boy began walking the short distance towards the large, concrete and glass building that could be known in general as the pinnacle of socialization: the mall.

Upon entering through the front entrance, he began walking towards the center of the mall where a large wishing fountain was placed. He'd agreed to meet Yzak there almost an hour ago, and knowing Yzak, the silver haired boy was probably waiting for him in annoyance.

Sure enough, as soon as he got into the center of the mall, he could see his friend sitting on a bench with an agitated expression on his face. The blonde took his time walking over to his friend, a smirk playing on his face. "Yo!" he called out in greeting as he lifted his hand in the air. Yzak turned to glare over at him, and he stood immediately.

"You're late." he stated, ticked off as usual.

"Oh, really? I think you're just early." Dearka countered smugly.

Rolling his eyes, Yzak grumbled and began walking off towards the escalators. "C'mon!" he called over his shoulder. "We should go to Rhea's and get something to wear for the party tonight." he added, mentally kicking himself for sounding like a girl.

Dearka chuckled and fell into step beside his friend. "Whatever. I might as well pick something out as well. Got nothing better to do till eight anyway." he added as the two boys stepped onto the escalator stairs.

* * *

Cagalli sat in her bedroom, going over her math homework. Kira was doing the laundry, and they hadn't seen Muruta at all. He was probably at work, most likely. As she finished the last math problem, the phone began ringing. The blonde girl would have gotten up to answer it, but after the second ring, it stopped. She was wondering if Kira got it, till he called from the family room, "Cagalli, Stellar's on the phone!"

"Thanks, I got it!" she called back as she reached for the cordless phone on the edge of her desk. "Hello?" she asked.

"Hey Cags!" her bubbly, blonde friend greeted on the other end of the phone. "Are you doing anything right now?" she asked curiously.

"No, just finishing up my math homework. Why?" the amber eyed girl asked.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go out to lunch or something. Neo's got to go to work and I don't really want to be by myself right now. So what do you say?" Stellar asked hopefully.

"I'll ask Kira, but I'm pretty sure it's ok by him. One sec, ok?" Cagalli replied before getting up and walking towards her doorway. "Hey Kira, is it ok if Stellar and I go out to lunch?" she called down the hall.

She heard her brother answer back, "That's fine, as long as you're home by five at the latest!"

"Thanks!" she called back, before putting the phone back up to her ear, "He says it's fine. Where do you want to meet?" Cagalli asked.

"How about we meet up at the park by the school?" the other girl suggested happily.

"Sounds great, see you there." Cagalli replied before hanging up.

Kira glanced up from a shirt he was folding to watch his little sister walk past the family room. "Bye Cagalli, remember to bring your cell phone," he added, sounding like a parent.

"Don't worry I have it. Bye, see you later," she added before walking out the front doors.

Kira looked after her through the windows till she was out of sight before sighing and folding the shirt to place in a pile of folded clothes.

As soon as she was out the door, Cagalli took off at a sprint. Her light green t-shirt swayed a bit from the wind, and her baggy, tan shorts hit her knees at every step. Across her shoulder was a small tan bag. Some people glanced over at her as she ran by, but she didn't care. She was only a few blocks away from the park where she'd be meeting her best friend.

Coming upon the park, Cagalli immediately picked out Stellar, standing by a few kids. As Cagalli got closer, she could hear Stellar was scolding the small group of kids while holding one little boy close to her side. He appeared to be in tears. "Now, are you all going to play nicely?" the blonde teen asked, her magenta eyes stern. The little kids nodded, and the little boy sniffled. "Okay, now go back to playing your game. And you, try not to play roughly, then you won't get hurt like this," the teen added, turning to the little boy and pointing to his scraped knee.

"Ok," he said quietly before wiping his nose with his hand and running off to join his friends.

Cagalli smiled as she walked up to her friend. "So Stellar, still playing Keeper of the Peace?" the amber eyed girl asked jokingly.

"Oh, hey Cags. I was just helping out some kids is all." she explained with a laugh. "Well, I'm glad to see you're on time! C'mon, let's go to the Sanders Café!" she exclaimed excitedly before grabbing Cagalli's hand and dragging her off into the direction of the shopping district close by. '_What have I gotten myself into?_' Cagalli thought to herself as Stellar added something about visiting some of the stores after lunch.

* * *

Miriallia watched the group of girl's leave the store with shopping bags under their arms. She had reason to be so smug, a good one too. Each girl had just spent between two hundred to three hundred dollars each on some expensive, sluttish clothing. And besides her generous pay per hour, she just made a fifteen percent commission for each piece of clothing the girls bought.

The auburn haired girl smirked to herself before deciding to be a good Samaritan and walked over to the dressing rooms. Taking some clothes from the rack by the dressing room, she began walking around, putting the clothes back to where they belonged. When she only had two shirts left, she began walking towards the section they belonged in. But on her way, she noticed two boys walk into the store.

Her eyes went wide, and she felt anger swell in her stomach. '_No, it can't be them…it's not them!_' she shouted to herself. Placing both shirt hangars with a random rack, she spun around and quickly began walking towards the back of the store. If she was forced to talk to them, a fight would surely break out and she'd get fired. Unfortunately, her manager was walking through the store at that moment, and noticed the two boys walk in. Glancing around, she saw all her other salespeople were busy…all except Miriallia who seemed to be walking away. "Miriallia!" she hissed.

The teen looked up when she heard her name called by her manager. "Yes?" she asked curiously. The woman walked over to her and grabbed her arm roughly.

"Miriallia, we have two customers who may need assistance! Why aren't you tending to them?" she asked angrily.

Mir swallowed the lump of anger in her throat. "Well, uh, I have to, uh…" she stuttered, sounding and feeling stupid.

"Well get going and do your job! What do I pay you for?" she finished before pushing Miriallia into the aisle way.

Before the auburn haired teen had a chance to glare, she felt someone bump into her. She fell straight to the floor gracelessly, and saw stars for a moment when her head hit the red tile floor. "Itai…"(Ow) she mumbled to herself, sitting up and rubbing the back of her head.

"Oh sorry, didn't see you there—Oh. It's _you_." a voice from above her stated as though she was pond scum.

Looking up to see who had just bumped her, her aqua gaze met with violet. The auburn haired teen got up from the floor quickly and brushed her shirt off as though she'd gotten dust on it. Ignoring the boy's comment seemed to be the smart thing to do at the moment. "What are you doing here? Little bitch," the boy added the last part under his breath just loud enough for the girl to hear.

"I work here." Miriallia answered, not even bothering to point to her vest. "Now, can I help you at all?" she asked with difficulty, trying not to punch the guy in the face.

Dearka was about to insult her again, but he got another idea. Smirking, he spoke up. "Actually, yes. We do need your help…" he began, much to Miriallia's horror.

* * *

Cagalli stirred the milk in with her coffee as Stellar sipped her iced tea. The two had been talking about school, and how they were glad it was Saturday. The usual things friends talked about. And then Stellar brought up the topic of the coming Friday. "So, Cagalli?" the girl began with a large smile on her face.

The other blonde girl looked up at her friend, "Hm?"

Stellar grinned. "Isn't your birthday this Friday?" Stellar exclaimed happily.

Cagalli had a blank look on her face, but then she brought up a fake smile, "Uh, yea it is." was all she said.

Stellar noticed her friend's smile wasn't real, but didn't say anything. "So, what do want to get this year? Any idea what Kira will give you?" Stellar asked, hoping her friend would answer with as much excitement as she felt.

Cagalli looked down into her coffee, as though hoping it would tell her what to say. She didn't really know what she'd get from anyone, and she really didn't care. Her birthday had lost its meaning and popularity after she'd turned eleven. Mainly because she'd gotten the worst gift possible on her birthday. Her and Kira had been sent to live with Azrael Muruta, and the door had opened to Kira's Hell. She hated her birthday, and she hated thinking about it.

And even though Kira knew that, he still went to the trouble of giving her something and treating her like royalty all day, just like he did everyday . Her gifts had always been things that had reminded them of their parents. For her twelfth birthday, Kira had given her a small, silver-chain necklace that their mother had given Kira for his own birthday. When she turned thirteen, Kira had given her a small gold ring that their father had given their mother on their fifth anniversary. On her fourteenth birthday, he'd given her an old, carved picture frame with small roses carved out of wood in the corners. There hadn't been a picture, or if there had, Kira had taken it out. On the back in beautiful writing, the words: Through life, We Found Love. Through Love We Found Each Other: were carved into the wood. All her gifts had been love, in solid forms. And they came from her parents and brother.

Without realizing it, a small tear had begun to drift down her cheek. She broke out of her trance and rubbed the tear away when Stellar asked her if she was all right. "Yea, I'm fine. I think something got in my eye…" Cagalli explained. Just then, their waitress brought their lunch to them and refilled Stellar's glass of iced tea. Using the food as an excuse, Cagalli began shoveling it into her mouth so she wouldn't have to talk. Stellar watched her worriedly, and slowly began eating her food. She known something was up with Cagalli all week, but she didn't know exactly what. It made her heart ache that she didn't know exactly what her best friend was thinking. It made her feel guilty and feel that she wasn't a good enough friend.

Cagalli stopped eating and looked over at her friend who seemed a bit sad. "Hey, Stellar, are you okay?" Cagalli asked worriedly. 'Is she upset because of me?' the girl wondered to herself sadly.

Stellar looked up and smiled a real, reassuring smile. "Yea, don't worry bout it. Now hurry up and eat! There are a bunch of stores I saw that I really wanted to look in!" she exclaimed with her usual brightness.

Cagalli grinned in relief, but groaned inwardly at the shopping idea. "Stellar, you really know how to ruin my Saturday…" she mumbled jokingly.

* * *

'_Work really knows how to ruin my Saturdays_…' Miriallia thought to herself as she waited out side the men's dressing rooms. Dearka had asked her to stand by and tell him what she thought of the clothes he picked out. Of course both knew he was only doing this to get Miriallia's mandatory answer of "Oh my, that looks stunning on you!" and crappy compliments like that. Yzak had grown bored of the first two trials of Dearka's torture, and decided to go and browse the clothes by himself. Miriallia was thankful he didn't partake in the humiliating torture Dearka was putting her through.

"All right, what do you think of this one?" he asked, walking out of the dressing room.

Miriallia looked up with a forced smile, and Dearka knew she was forcing it for her job. He was wearing a light, pale blue dress shirt with a collar. The auburn haired employee glared at him for a few moments, and thought she heard a tiny voice in the back of her head saying, "_Not to bad, for a bastard of course_." She doused the voice in pure horror and using the fakest voice she could muster, she answered, "That looks really good on you." she strangled out with false praise. Dearka seemed to enjoy torturing the unfortunate girl, and decided to extend his range of humiliation.

"Really? I thought so too. Since we have such similar tastes, why don't you go find something you'd think would look good on me. I have somewhere to go tonight, and I don't want to look too unreachable. Find something, a bit more casual for me? Thanks, you're a doll."

Miriallia felt ready to explode in anger. '_Just what could be so much fun about torturing me like this? I'd rather punch his sorry face and then dunk his head in the fountain!_' she thought to herself. But instead of listening to her wants, she listened to her employee guidelines: Always serve the customer as though they were a King, the customer is always right, if the customer is wrong, refer to the previous guideline, and finally, no bashing a customer's face in and submerging their head in the wishing fountain. Okay, so she made that last one up—for her it's still a smart rule.

Grumbling to herself silently, Miriallia trudged off towards the men's section to grab a random shirt and any pair of pants she saw first. But as she passed into the men's section, a certain shirt caught her eye. Looking over, she saw a dark navy collared shirt. It was a bit dressy, but also casual. She didn't know why, but her hand reached out with certainty to grab the hangar the shirt hung from. Glancing behind her, she couldn't find any pants that would compliment the shirt. So instead of just grabbing something random, she browsed through the racks of pants till she found the right ones. Pulling a pair of light tan pants from a shelf, she checked the size to make sure it was the right one. She'd figured out Dearka's size from taking clothes back to the racks when he was done trying them on.

Taking the clothes back to the changing rooms, she handed them over to the boy who stood waiting. He didn't even look down at the clothes before taking them with him into the changing room. But when he glanced down at them, he was a bit surprised. The clothes actually looked nice. Not too dressy, not too casual. He'd really expected Miriallia to just grab random clothes out of spite, or boredom.

When Dearka walked out of the dressing room, Miriallia glanced over at him, preparing herself to say an automatic compliment she didn't mean at all. But seeing the boy dressed in the outfit she'd picked out, it almost made her breath hitch in her throat. Almost.

Dearka had also been surprised when he glanced in the mirror. The clothes matched him perfectly. '_And to think _she_ picked them out_…' he thought to himself. "So, what do you think?" he asked, trying to act as though he didn't care about the clothes he was wearing.

Miriallia snapped out of her staring and replied with an almost sincere "The clothes really match you," she said before she realized it.

Dearka could tell that she'd meant it, at least a little, that time. And Miriallia knew what she just said went against everything she'd been shouting at herself the whole time. Thankfully for her, Dearka was nearly as surprised as she was, and decided to give the girl, or maybe himself, a break. "You know, I think I'll buy these. I do have other things to do today than to spend here trying on clothes." he stated.

Miriallia couldn't have been happier.

Ringing up his purchase, she handed him the Rhea's bag with the shirt and pants tucked safely inside. Dearka then acted as though he hadn't spoken to her at all and left. The girl sighed as she leaned against the counter. Her eyes drifted lazily over to the clock on the wall, and they widened. She'd been working an extra fifteen minutes after her shift was over! '_Damn Dearka_…' she mumbled to herself as she ripped the vest from her shoulders and hurried to the back room of the clothing store. Now she was fifteen—wait, make those sixteen— minutes late to her next job.

Nearly sprinting out of the store, Miriallia made her way towards the stairs. She did not have time for the slow escalator. Hopefully, her manager wouldn't be too angry with her being so late?

* * *

Athrun carried his bag of groceries in one arm, and a bag containing two buckets of paint in the other. He was in a sour mood, especially after having not been able to find what he was looking for quickly, and because he'd been stuck behind an old broad who had to count her exact change twice before paying the cashier, only to say she didn't want something she'd just purchased. Then she had to count the exact change all over again. As the boy walked through the shopping district, he passed a few clothing stores on his way to the parking lot.

He didn't notice the two girls exit one of the stores and begin walking in his direction till he'd bumped into one of them. His bag of paint fell from his arm, and he heard a box drop to the ground and the sound of a familiar voice cursing. Glaring at the blonde girl he'd just bumped into, he felt his eyes widen a bit in surprise.

* * *

Cagalli groaned in the dressing room. "Stellar, I'm not coming out in this thing!" she shouted through the door. She heard her friend giggle from the other side.

"Oh come on Cagalli, just let me see it on you!" she begged.

The amber eyed girl growled and unwillingly reached out to open the door to the dressing room. Stellar's eyes widened in amazement and Cagalli felt self-conscious. "What? Does it really look that bad? I told you I can't wear these things!" the girl shouted a bit loudly.

Stellar smiled, "It doesn't look bad on you at all! It looks great! See for yourself!" she giggled, pointing to the full length mirror besides the dressing rooms.

Cagalli glanced over and felt her cheeks redden. The dress she was wearing was a thin shoulder-strap, emerald green dress with a white ruffle on the hem which only came to just barely above her knees. It was worse than her school skirt. The thin material seemed to hug her body too tightly, she thought, and her almost non-existent breasts were outlined and seemed bigger. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she turned to glare at her best friend. "Can I take it off now?" she asked.

Stellar smirked, "Only if you plan on buying it. It looks great on you!" she exclaimed.

Cagalli huffed and furrowed her brow. "No way. I'm not wasting my money on something stupid like this!" she added. What she wasn't telling her friend was that the dress, when she wasn't looking at it, actually felt a bit comfortable. Of course, she wasn't a dress person, so she really never thought she looked acceptable in dresses.

The other blonde girl chuckled. "Oh all right. You can take it off. I'll put it back for you, how about that?" she asked, a glint in her eyes that seemed questionable.

The idea of taking the dress off pleased Cagalli, and she jumped back into the dressing room. Opening the door just a crack to hand the dress and hangar to Stellar, Cagalli then shut it and threw her comfortable clothes back on. As she exited the small room, the girl looked around to find her friend, and noticed she was at the register. Walking over, Cagalli felt her jaw drop as the cashier rang up two dresses, and placed them in small, white boxes, and handed them to Stellar after Stellar paid the woman. Turning, she smiled at Cagalli, "What?" she asked innocently as she began to walk towards the door.

"What? What are you doing with that dress? I thought you said you were putting it back!" Cagalli shouted.

Stellar smirked, "I lied."

"Well what are you doing buying it then?"

Stellar stopped and thrust the box containing the green dress to her friend. "Think of it as an early birthday present. And because you're getting it from your best friend in the whole wide world, you _have_ to keep it! And at least wear it twice in public." Stellar explained smugly.

Cagalli glared at her, but accepted the box. Stellar did kind of have a point. It was a present from her best friend, she couldn't just return it or shred it or something. "You know I hate you right now, right?" she asked, glaring at the box in her hands.

Stellar sighed with a content smile on her face, "It'll pass."

The two girls exited the store and began walking towards another that Stellar wanted to check out. Unfortunately for Cagalli, it was a shoe store. They'd probably be there forever. But as they were walking, they didn't notice the boy in front of them till Cagalli bumped into him, dropping her box and falling to land on her backside.

"Ow…" she mumbled rubbing her backside shamelessly. The boy glared and looked about to shout out an insult or something, till he realized who was on the ground before him. The girl looked up, ready to apologize and take the blame politely, till amber met emerald. "_You_!" she spat with hate in her voice.

Athrun glared down at the blonde teen with mixed feelings. Annoyance for being bumped into, anger because it was Cagalli, a dark yet twisted feeling of lust because it was Cagalli, and a bit smug for knocking her down to sit at his feet. "Watch where you're going you little bitch," Athrun retorted with a smirk on his lips.

Cagalli growled and shot up to her feet. "You bastard!" she shouted before pulling her hand back and attempting to slap the boy across the face.

Only Athrun used his free hand to grab her wrist, and he bent it back a bit to cause a shot of pain to run through Cagalli's arm. Pulling her a bit closer to him, he leaned down till their gazes were level. "You know, you should respect your superiors little girl." he stated, his hand not loosening his grip on the girl's wrist.

Instead of focusing her attention on her aching wrist, Cagalli kept her glare level with Athrun's smirking eyes and growled for him to let her go. He noticed the anger in her voice, and only tightened his grip, causing the girl to wince slightly. "Now why would I do that? You're much like a tiger. If I cage you, you're not much of a threat. But if I decided to let you go, you just might try and slash my chest apart." he whispered in a husky tone, using a strange metaphor.

"Let her go you pervert!" Stellar shouted before kicking the boy in the shin.

Athrun was surprised at the other girl's interference, and had let go of the blonde's wrist. Cagalli instantly pulled back away from him, and kept a steady glare. "I thought I told you not to touch me!" she more threatened than asked.

Athrun smirked and glanced down at the white box that had fallen half open, revealing the dress inside. "Cute dress. Plan on wearing it soon?" he mocked with a sadistic grin.

Cagalli bent down to pick up the box and gripped it tightly to her chest, as though protecting the innocent piece of clothing from the boy's harmful eyes. "Stay away from me." she demanded before walking over to Stellar, grabbing her wrist, and then began dragging her away. Stellar turned back long enough to glare and give the blue haired boy she'd never even seen before then "the finger".

Athrun glared after the girls and bent down to retrieve his bag of paint. He was a bit relieved to see the cans hadn't blasted open. Replacing the bag in his arm, he decided to take the long way to the parking lot.

* * *

Miriallia stormed into the back room of the Fable Café panting. Looking up, her gaze met with light blue. Tolle stood before her, wearing a white collared shirt with the sleeves pulled up to his elbows, and a pair of black pants. He also wore a white apron over his clothes. His smirk made Miriallia wonder just what was going on in his perverted head. "You know Mir, you panting like that reminds me of my dream last night after we did something very, very naughty." he joked, enjoying the look of horror on the girl's face.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," she mumbled between pants. Even though she'd taken the stairs, she was still twenty minutes late to her job.

"Well, I think I'll let you off easy this time for being late, but next time, you're gonna have to give me a lap dance." the boy stated with a grin.

Miriallia shuddered at the "bad image" taking place in her mind because of what Tolle said, and felt another shudder knowing that he was serious. "As much as I hate to say it to you, Tolle, thanks." she grumbled before walking towards the row of lockers at the other end of the room. Reaching her locker, she opened the door and pulled out a white collared shirt, and was reaching for the pair of black pants when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.

Turning around, Mir looked warily at Tolle before widening her eyes in shock. "Now Mir, I said I'd let you off easy, not "Mir you're of the hook". So as punishment, you have to wear the skirt." he said with a smirk plastered on his face.

Miriallia paled, "B-but Tolle! That thing's not even as long as the other ones!" she shouted in anger and surprise.

The boy chuckled, "I know. That's why it's punishment. Now get your uniform on and be out there in thirty seconds. We're understaffed today." he added with a grin before slinking his way back into the café.

Miriallia stared at the short black skirt in her hands and groaned.

* * *

Dearka and Yzak walked slowly through the mall. They were planning on heading to the café right after stopping off at the music store to check and see if there were any new albums out. Dearka was still thinking about the auburn haired salesgirl as Yzak led him towards a café. glancing up, Dearka furrowed his brows in confusion. "Café Fable? Why are we here?" he asked his blue eyed friend.

Yzak sighed, "Or usual café looked too crowded for my liking. Besides, this place seems fine."

Dearka shrugged to himself and followed Yzak into the café. The two boys found a table by the wall and sat down. Yzak skimmed over the menu and Dearka just glanced down at it. As they waited for a waiter to come by, Dearka glanced over to another table at the other end of the room. There were three boys sitting there and the waitress was taking their orders. What caught Dearka's eye was how short and tight looking the skirt looked on her. Quickly glancing at the other waitresses, he noticed their skirts were a few inches lower than the one the other girl was wearing. It was actually kind of odd, Dearka was a bit confused.

As the girl walked by their table to get to the kitchen when the tan skinned boy got a chance to look at the girl's slightly pale legs. He turned slightly to watch her walk away, but never once looking up to see her face. "Dearka, stop drooling like a dog." Yzak stated in a bored tone as he read through the menu.

Turning back to sit in his seat correctly, Dearka placed his elbow on the table and dropped his chin in his hand. They only had to wait a few moments before a waitress walked over, her eyes trained on her notepad and not even bothering to glance up at the boys sitting at the table. "Are you ready to order?" she asked automatically, tapping her pen against the pad of paper.

Yzak didn't look up at her, and said lazily, "I'll have a vanilla espresso."

The waitress wrote that down quickly, and Dearka looked over at her and his eyes widened a bit in surprise.

A smirk crawled onto his lips and he said, "You know, we have to stop meeting like this."

The waitress looked up and felt her heart skip a beat from distress. "W-why are _you_ here?" she demanded, her aqua eyes flaring.

Dearka chuckled, "Getting coffee stupid. I'll have just coffee. Black if you don't mind." he added with false sweetness.

Miriallia bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from mouthing off. If it wasn't bad enough that she had to endure torture from this guy at Rhea's, but now she had to serve him as though she were lower than a slug? '_What did I do to deserve this?_' she whined to herself. "Will that be all _sir_?" she asked with a crackling voice.

"That's all, now run along little girl." Dearka added that last part with a little gesture of his hand, causing Miriallia's ears to turn red from anger. '_It's kinda cute when she does that_…' he thought to himself as she walked away, only to swat the thought from his head.

"Dearka, what is it with you and that girl?" Yzak asked with no interest at all.

The other boy sighed and shrugged, "I dunno, it's fun being able to torment her like this though and she's not allowed to do anything about it. A few times I could have sworn she was gonna lose it and punch my face in." he added with a chuckle.

Yzak rolled his eyes at his friend's oddly sadistic, yet tame teasing. He too had expected the girl to go ballistic and start a fight with them on sight. Dearka had to be right about her holding back because of her jobs.

Miriallia waited for the two boys' orders to be ready with little patience. '_If that bastard says anything more, I swear I'm going to do something_…' she swore to herself with mild amusement. If she could have it her way, she'd have strangled them when she first saw them that morning. But alas, she couldn't duke it out with customers in the workplace. Of course, she could always get back at them at school, but she'd probably have lost the flare-of-the-moment by then.

When the orders were ready, she placed them on a tray and began carrying them back to the table. When there, she gave each boy their order and picked the tray back up and held it to her chest. "Need anything else?" she asked rudely, trying to be as mean as she could within the workplace.

Dearka was about to say something, but Yzak glared and told Miriallia 'No'. As she turned around to walk towards another table, a teen at the table across from Dearka and Yzak's smirked and stuck his foot out in the way of the waitress. Without realizing it was there, Mir tripped right over it, falling flat on her face. The boy began laughing and the others at the table joined in.

When Mir fell to the floor, because her skirt had been too short in the first place, it had hitched up, exposing her under garments to anyone behind her. She blushed a deep red in embarrassment and anger as she sat up, pulling her skirt hem back down. A waiter by a table nearby chuckled and called over to her, "You know Mir, we _do_ have brooms to clean the floor."

The girl sent a glare at the waiter and stood abruptly. She glanced over at the boy that had tripped her and gave him one of her looks that said, "If I could, I'd kill you right now". The boy stopped laughing momentarily and Miriallia walked towards a table as though nothing had happened. The café that had quieted down when she feel buzzed back up and began resuming their conversations.

Dearka watched Miriallia take the order of an elderly couple and storm back to the counter to get the orders ready. "That was amusing." Dearka mused to himself as Yzak silently sipped his espresso. The tan skinned boy then turned to his coffee and took a long sip, breaking away quickly to gasp, "Hot!" Across the café, Mir smirked a little victory smirk.

* * *

Athrun walked back into his house, and a feeling of emptiness washed over him. He forgot about the incident with Cagalli in the shopping district, and only thoughts of emptiness, and lonely nights filled him. He wondered slightly if he possibly had a split personality. One side of him was the arrogant, cruel bully at school, and the other was his lonely, empty shell he felt at home, when he was alone. Lenore trotted into the front hall to greet the teen with a small bark as he slipped off his shoes.

Flashing a small smile, Athrun walked into the kitchen and placed the bag of groceries on the center counter. He then shifted the bag of paint in his arms and walked towards the kitchen stairway that led to the second floor. As he walked up the stairs, Lenore followed him silently, sensing his empty feeling.

When they reached the top floor, Athrun made a turn, and Lenore followed until they came to a closed door. With his free hand, Athrun reached forward and opened the door. Lenore jumped into the room and Athrun followed her, not bothering to close the door. Walking into the room he'd been painting in the previous afternoon, he set the bag of paint on the floor, and walked over to one of the small stands he kept tubes of paint on. He picked up a small, digital camera from under a large tube of white and turned the small device on.

Looking around the room, he took a few pictures: pictures of each painted wall. The teen made sure to get every little painting he'd done in the camera pictures. After all, he would never see those same pictures again. Setting the camera back where he found it, he then walked toward the bag of paint. Kneeling down, he opened the first can of white paint. Then, picking it up in both hands, he walked over to one wall, the wall with all the windows painted on it, and pulling his arms back, he then made as though to toss the can at the wall. But he never let go, allowing the force to pull the paint from the can and splatter over the wall.

The thick white liquid splattered against the wall like white blood. Athrun then repeated the process till the whole wall was coated with fresh white paint and the can was only half full. Turning then to the wall with the crystal cavern painted on it, he tossed the paint onto the wall till it too was covered and the can was empty.

Setting down the empty can, he then went to retrieve the second can. With this, he threw white paint at the wall where he'd painted Lenore just yesterday. The white paint soon coated that wall, and he then turned to the last wall. With slightly tired arms, he threw the rest of the paint onto the painting of the park fountain, and after closing the door, he wanted the paint race down the hard wood surface till it dripped onto the carpet of drop cloth that covered the floor of the room.

He reopened the door, and walked out with a silent Lenore on his heels. Walking back to his bedroom after closing the door, he sat down on his bed. Lenore hopped up onto the soft mattress and curled up beside Athrun, sensing her master's emotions. Glancing over at the digital clock on his nightstand, Athrun saw it was already seven thirty. The party started at eight thirty, but he wouldn't get there till nine anyway. He had to be fashionably late to build up the suspense of his arrival. Deciding to take a long shower, he stood, pulling off his shirt and tossing it on the ground on his way towards his bathroom. '_Fashionably late to a plain old party? Just to make myself seem more important than I am? Mother, I'm becoming more like Father everyday, aren't I?_' he asked his Mother silently, with bitterness towards himself. His father had been the one thing he knew his mother hoped he'd never become. But with how Athrun acted now, he was following in his father's footsteps perfectly. '_Damn_.' he added to himself before turning the shower on 'Hot'.

* * *

Miriallia sighed heavily as she finished wiping the table. She spent the rest of her after noon at the Fable Café, and she had no choice in the matter anyway since Tolle had to work at another store a few hours after the café. He was her only ride to and from work, so she had to keep herself busy till he was done with his last job.

"Hey Miriallia, you can just go now, I think we have enough people here for the rest of the night. Go on and get ready to leave," the assistant manager said kindly. He was the one who 'd made the joke about the broom earlier that day. He may be a jerk sometimes, but he could be nice when he wanted to.

"Thanks, Ryo." the girl mumbled tiredly before trudging into the back room and going to her locker to grab her clothes to change back into.

Walking out of the back room, Miriallia couldn't help but sigh in relief as she felt her jeans grip to her legs. No more painfully humiliating skirt. "Bye!" she said with a smile as she left the café.

Checking the large clock above the fountain in the center of the mall, Miriallia saw it was ten to eight. '_Tolle should be done working, he's probably waiting for me_,' she thought to herself as she made her way to the main entrance to the mall. Tolle usually waited for her there, or vice versa.

Making her way out of the entrance, Miriallia immediately picked out the black car her friend drove, and walked over to it. But once closer, she noticed Tolle was leaning against his car with three of his friends. When one looked over and saw her, they pointed her out to Tolle who glanced over at her with a smirk on his face. "Hey Milly! Come on over here!" he shouted, that smirk still stuck on his face suspiciously.

Walking over warily, Mir could tell something was going to happen, and she wasn't going to like it. Once next to Tolle, she narrowed her eyes and growled out, "All right Koenig, what is going on in that empty head of yours?"

Tolle's friends snickered at the girl's comment, and Tolle shrugged. "Aw, c'mon Milly, why do you always think I'm up to something?" he asked playfully.

The girl snorted, "Tolle, I've known you since third grade, and I know very well when you're up to something." she replied.

The brunette grinned, breaking the smirk. "All right, you caught me," he began as his friends chuckled lightly.

Miriallia gave him an annoyed, questioning look.

"I got bored during work, so I came up with a fun idea for today," he began. "If you want me to drive you back home, you're going to have to…" Tolle leaned in further and whispered the last part to the girl quietly.

Miriallia's face turned redder than a tomato and she nearly jumped back from her 'friend'. "Hell no! You fucking pervert! I'd rather walk home!" she declared angrily before storming off. '_How could he think up something like that? Ugh—I don't want to know. Damn him, now I'll be late getting home to watch Katie…_' she thought to herself as she walked down the sidewalk towards the exit of the Masaki Mall parking lot.

Dearka steered his corvette carefully out of the parking lot after nearly getting rammed by another car. Yzak had left just a little more than a half hour ago to go get ready for the party later. Dearka had wanted to go to a DVD store to see if the movie he was looking for was available there yet. Both had agreed to meet at the party around ten to nine or so.

As he was about to pull out of the parking lot completely, he noticed a girl walking on the sidewalk out of the parking lot. The short auburn haired was a dead giveaway for him, and Dearka smirked as he drove up beside the walking teen. Miriallia didn't seem to notice the car pulling up beside her and kept walking till the sound of a window going down broke her out of her thoughts.

"Need a lift?" a familiar voice asked.

Miriallia glanced over and saw the dark red corvette being driven by none other than Dearka Elthman, her most annoying annoyance all day. "What?" she asked, a bit confused.

Dearka smirked, having anticipated this kind of reaction. "I said, 'Need a lift?'" he repeated.

Miriallia narrowed her eyes and growled, "No I don't," and then began walking away. Dearka followed her a few feet before he asked, "Don't tell me you walk to an from work? Obviously it's over fifteen miles since the school's sixteen miles away." he added, knowing she had to live within four miles of their school district to go to that school and not another, closer, one.

"Not usually, but I like the exercise." she replied back with sarcasm dripping from her words.

"Well then get in. I'll drive you home." Dearka replied back.

Miriallia glared at him and made to start walking away again, till Dearka added, "If you don't let me give you a ride home, I tell your manager at Rhea's that you weren't a very polite salesgirl."

The girl froze and turned her head to glare at the blonde boy with shock, anger, hatred, and horror etched on her face. 'I can't lose that job,' she worried silently to herself. "You wouldn't." she stammered slightly on her words out of worry.

The smirked, knowing he had her on his hook. Now all he had to do was reel her in. "Yes I would. With a little 'persuasion' I'm sure she'll gladly fire you. Now either risk getting fired, or get in the car." he answered, already the victorious smirk on his lips. He watched in amusement as the girl hesitantly walked over and reached out slowly to open the passenger side door.

As she slipped inside the car, Miriallia felt like kicking herself, really hard, in the stomach. She was letting that bastard order her around even after work. The said bastard only grinned as she closed the car door and buckled her seatbelt silently. Pressing on the ignition, he then sped off onto the road.

"So, where do you live?" Dearka asked after a few minutes of driving down the highway ten to fifteen miles above the speed limit.

'_Stalker_,' Miriallia mused to herself in her head before answering, "Once we're in Red Shoals I'll give you the directions."

Dearka nodded and watched the road, glancing over at the girl sitting beside him every few seconds. Mir was fidgeting with the wrist band of her white gloves, running her fingers over the surface and then plucking at the soft, white material. The boy noticed it, and wondered again why exactly he'd offered to give her a ride. She was the girl who'd nearly kicked the shit out of him if she'd wanted to had Athrun not been her main target. She was pretty much his automatic enemy since she decided to be friends with Azrael Kira, yet here she was, in his car, probably wanting to be anywhere but there in the expensive leather seat.

"So," he began, bored of the silence in the car as they drove. "Just out of curiosity, why was it I met you twice today at two very different places?" he asked, trying to start up a conversation out of boredom.

"I work all day every Saturday at three different stores in the Mall." she informed him blandly. She too seemed bored of the silence.

"Why?" the boy asked curiously. Surely since she went to Kurenai Sakura High School, her parents had to be wealthy enough not to force her to work three jobs a day every Saturday?

"Because unlike you and nearly all the other rich brats at school, I need to work to get cash." she answered a bit stiffly.

"Uh-huh…so what exactly do you need money for that your parents won't get you?" he asked.

The girl smirked darkly before giving a small chuckle. "Anything, everything." she stated, much to the confusion of the boy beside her. "Besides, my business isn't any of yours to know."

Dearka stopped at a red light and glanced over at her quickly. "Well I'm making it my business." he retorted, pressing the ignition when the light turned red.

"Well I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't." she growled out.

"Too bad. Now tell me." he demanded smugly.

Miriallia rolled her eyes, and took a moment to think about her answer and whether she'd tell this boy whom she hated what she hadn't even been able to tell her new friends. 'If I tell him, he might feel sorry for me and leave me alone. Worth a try at least.' she reasoned to herself. "Mainly my little sister's medication. She's not very healthy and needs medication to keep her body stable, all right?" she asked, hoping that would discourage anymore conversation from Dearka.

The boy was silent for a moment, but then asked, "You have a sister?"

"Yeah, she's looks a lot like me, except her hair is longer." Miriallia answered, feeling more relaxed talking about Katie.

Both were silent for a few minutes till Dearka drove onto a large road that looked to run into a large community. Miriallia waited a few moments till they came to the first stop sign, and then said, "Make a right here, and turn right again onto Cane street."

Dearka followed her directions, and once he was on Cane street, Miriallia gave him another set of directions and then another. The boy was too occupied in following the directions, he didn't notice that he was slowly making his way into the downtown area of Red Shoals.

When the girl said, "Stop here," did he actually look around and realize exactly where he was.

He looked over at the girl in confusion as she unbuckled her seatbelt and got ready to open the door. "Wait, _this_ is where you live?" he questioned.

Mir scowled and said, "Yeah." before opening the car door and stepping out onto the old sidewalk in front of an old looking, one story house with a poorly tended front yard.

He watched in curiosity as she walked up the old, cracking driveway and towards a worn looking front door. She had to tug on the door knob before it opened, and Dearka noticed she didn't look back once to see what his expression was. Slowly, Dearka put the small, poorly mismatched pieces of the jigsaw puzzle he did have together.

A concerned look crossed his face as he watched the front windows, seeing someone moving behind old white curtains. Slowly, he turned his attention back to driving and began backtracking his way out of the slums and back on the road to his perfect mansion in the perfect, nicer, richer, better part of Red Shoals.

**Okay…1) I'm really sorry this is sooo late! It's not all my fault, I got grounded, this took a long time to type, and I've been swamped with school work. Ever since eighth grade started I've been swarmed by work! 2) I hope you're satisfied with this chapter, it's 15 pages long and 12,005 words long. Obviously I'm now tired, and may not be able to update for awhile since this is so long and you all may feel up to giving me another break. But I do want to try and update this by the end of this week. Of course, school plays a big part in that. We'll see though, won't we?**

**By the way, since there was very little Kira in this chapter, and absolutely NO Lacus, next chapter will be centering around my favorite characters! Oh yum, I just love it when ideas storm my head!**

**Also, a small footnote: I've been contemplating and taking small breaks to start typing a few one-shots for a new pairing of mine that no one else has created something for. I plan on making a few one-shots for K+ T and M, they'll be my first yuri creations, and the first LacusxMiriallia fics on the site! Hoo-ha for me! If you want to be nice, or if you want to read a yuri fic, I'm posting two of my little one-shots along with this, So after reading this and you want to read my K+ LxM story, go on ahead and read the fluffiness. Or if you want to be a little bolder, go ahead and read my M LxM story if you want to read about Lacus and Miriallia dancing erotically with each other. personally, I'm not too proud of either of them, though I do like the middle and after parts of Dirty Dancing…anyhoo, read em if you want, no grudges will be held against you. I'm just excited over my new pairing who I pretty much just made up.**

**Sorry for dragging the Author's Note out so long! Hope you enjoyed chapter 9, please review!**

**Sam**


	10. Silent Screams

**For You**

Ok, I am sooo sorry for the really late update! It's just that school has been really demanding lately, what with Algebra eating me alive slowly, the frequent math quizzes every week and the math tests every two weeks, the big projects that I procrastinate on, me having to wake up too damned early after going to bed too late every morning and not being able to sleep in on weekends recently, my brother constantly bugging me, the endless studying, I've been thinking about the books I plan to write and drawing the characters, and finally the small break I was taking from typing cuz my brain shut off for awhile due to minor writer's block. I hope this kinda compensates for the late update, but just to cool down any bad blood between you all and myself, I'm trying to type up chapter 11 really quickly after this so I can give it too you soon. I'm just really sorry about this whole mess, but I'm an over-stressed and tired teenage girl that needs to fall asleep for a week or two…Anyway…

I'm glad to see most of you like chapter 9! It just, (sniffles and wipes away tears) It just warms me up inside to know tons of people are reading my story! I love you all so much! If it weren't for the wonderful reviews asking for me to go on, I probably wouldn't risk my life writing these stories. Anyhoo, not much to say in the Author's note… **Maryham Khanoom**, it tickles me pink that you noticed the change in my profile. But my tastes changed to put it simply. I'm just so glad you all still support this story like you do. **FirstxKiss**, I am very envious of you…And **VERY IMPORTANT**: I guess a few of you are thinking about where I stand on the whole cutting thing since three of my characters are apparently doing it. Well, **jin of ice** and all you other readers, it was just a faze I was going through, and I'll be focused on steering away from it now. Please rest assured I'm not entirely messed up in the head, heh. Sorry if I offended anyone with that or freaked them out or something, it was just something I was playing around with in my head. I, in no way—no matter what the circumstances—promote cutting. There's always a better way out of something than cutting. I just find it a very serious topic for discussion and it has a very tight clutch on many young, and old, minds.

Well, I just bored you all with an EXTREMELY long author's note, so let's get on with it.

**Chapter 10 Silent Scream**

Her heart couldn't stop pounding in fear, and her breaths came in fast, sharp gasps. She wanted to cry, but it wouldn't do any good. His hands roughly pulled the thin fabric of her clothes from her skin till milky white gleamed up at him in the moonlight. No matter what, she wouldn't open her eyes. She couldn't open her eyes. If she did, she'd see his eyes leering at her, her body that he was so carelessly going to break.

Hearing the sound of him taking off his own clothes was enough to make her retch. She may have been young, but she knew what was going to happen next, only it wasn't going to be that "special bond" two people make with each other when they love each other very much that her health teachers ranted on about in seventh grade.

Hands grabbed onto her upper arms and she made a bad mistake by accidentally opening her eyes. Her crystal blue eyes, filled with fear and terror locked onto the dark, lust filled eyes of the boy above her. The words she wanted to form wouldn't get past her throat, and all that came out was a scared whimper as she turned her head to look away. Feeling a hand lift from her bare arm and trace her jaw line to her chin. He tilted her face up towards his and he smirked down at her. She shuddered, '_Please…please…someone…help me…_' she silently begged as tears pricked her eyes.

Seeing her tears, his smirk widened, "Now, now, don't cry." he said tauntingly, wanting to see the tears flow down her cheeks.

His words did their trick and when she closed her eyes to block out the things she didn't want to see, her tears began to quickly float down her cheeks. '_Please_…' she begged herself.

"Crying will only ruin the fun," he whispered, leaning forward and darting out his tongue to trace the salty tracks of her tears down her cheeks.

Another strangled whimper sounded from her throat. _'Someone_…'

"I can't promise this will be over soon, so you might as well lay back and enjoy it." he stated coldly as his fingers left her jaw and stroked her neck down to her collar bone.

She could feel him move above her, and then she felt a feeling of skin touching skin. '_Help me_!' she screamed silently. Just as a sharp, agonizing pain ripped through her body, she felt her mind draw blank, and darkness swell around her. She heard herself scream, but it wasn't from her own throat.

* * *

Sitting up quickly, Lacus gripped the sides of her head in her palms tightly as her fingernails dug into her scalp. She was still screaming, but she couldn't stop. Only did she stop once she completely ran out of air and had to gasp sharply for breath. Her wide eyes were unfocused for a moment, and then darted around her as though looking for something, or someone. All she saw were her bed curtains, swaying slightly from the breeze coming through her open windows.

It took her a few moments to calm down, and once she had her bearings, she wiped away the hot tears from her cheeks. The girl took a few moments to catch her breath and tell herself it was a nightmare, over and over. Only, it ripped her heart and mind whenever she whispered, "It was just a nightmare," because she knew what she was saying wasn't true.

Her hands drifted to her arms and securely gripped the lacy sleeves of her nightgown. Feeling the fabric pressed against her body, though sticking to her back in a cold sweat, was enough to reassure her of her solitude. The girl brought her knees up to her chest, the white blankets falling from her legs. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin between her knees.

Her bangs fell over her eyes as she cried.

She cried for her memories, she cried for her mind, she cried for her shattered heart, she cried for her tormented body, she cried for her fucking reflection. But she didn't cry for herself. She wouldn't cry for her being. Sure, she would cry for the things that made her, but not her, twisted as that sounds. Logic didn't count there, logic never helped her before, and logic was what messed her up.

So she cried.

She cried for what she felt sorry for ruining. She cried for the things she'd destroyed.

"I'm a waste of time and skin…" she whispered to herself, her voice so small that she was surprised she even heard it.

* * *

The sounds of an argument woke Kira from his dreams. Sitting up in his bed quickly, his eyes darted towards the door that was closed. Through it, he could hear shouts and screams that sounded like Muruta and…

"Cagalli!" the boy whispered to himself as a girl's scream rang through his ears. He was already out of bed, opening his bedroom door before he ran down the hall towards the family room. Once he was there, his eyes widened in shock and he felt anger and hatred swell in his body. His lavender irises trembled before his pupils shrank.

Muruta stood over his sister as she lay sprawled on the ground, panting heavily and sobbing quietly. The blue eyed man turned to glance over at Kira, and the smirk on his lips widened sadistically. "Kira, I'm glad to see you. I'm sure your sister would also like to have a talk with you, which is if she can keep her voice from escaping her again." the man added before kneeling down and grabbing the girl by the hair before lifting her up towards him. He glared at her before pushing her down roughly to the floor.

"Cagalli!" the boy cried out with concern as he ran to his sister's side.

Kneeling beside her, he reached down to try and help her up, but she slapped his hands away, and slowly, painfully, sat herself up. The look in her eyes was one Kira never thought in a hundred years he'd ever receive from his sister. A look of betrayal, anger, and _hate_. "Don't touch me!" she seethed at him with tears still dripping from her eyes.

Kira felt extremely hurt, "Cagalli," he began but the girl glared and interrupted.

"You said you'd protect me! You said you'd never let me get hurt!" she cried at him, her eyes filling with her emotions from betrayal to confusion.

The brown haired boy didn't know what to say to his sister, he didn't even know how this could have happened. As he looked at the face of his sister, he thought he saw a flash of his mother kneeling beside Cagalli, her eyes locked on her son filled with disappointment.

"You didn't protect her Kira, you could have helped her, but you failed her Kira. You failed me," she stated quietly, her voice void of emotion.

"No—I—Mother," he mumbled to himself as Cagalli glared at him with those hurting amber eyes.

"I hate you," she hissed.

Kira felt his heart skip a beat. Those three words from his sister were the only words he hoped he'd never hear from her, directed at him. In that moment, everything stopped, and he looked up to see Muruta smirking as he pulled the syringe from his coat pocket. He could see his parents behind the man, his father's face filled with disappointment, and his mother's filled with nothing at all. He turned to look at Cagalli, who glared at him with hatred and anger. Muruta kneeled down next to him and looked him in the eyes.

"You see Kira, you're just a failure. Your sister hates you, you parents who only ever asked you to take care of her have been let down, and I'm the only one you have left."

* * *

Sitting up in bed, his breathing heavy and hollow, Kira felt his heart literally pounding in his chest. His body was covered in cold sweat, and his mind was ringing in his ears. "It was…a dream?" he asked himself half doubtingly.

To suppress his worried thoughts, Kira slipped out of his bed and quickly but quietly snuck out of his bedroom, and walked down the hallway to the family room. He looked in, and didn't find a trace of anyone having been in there. Then again, it was dark.

The brunette walked down the hallway again till he came to his sister's bedroom door. He cracked it open enough so he could slip in. Walking up to his sister's bed, Kira leaned down and gently brushed the hair away from his sister's cheek. "Cagalli," he whispered quietly.

"Mm…" she groaned softly in her sleep, cuddling closer to her pillow. Her lips were turned up in the corners in a relaxed smile.

Kira smiled and knew he had his answer. "Sweet dreams," he whispered again and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. He stood up straight and left the room silently before returning to his bedroom.

* * *

Blinking slowly, Lacus took another slow, deep breath. She lay sprawled on her bed, her mind gone and someplace else. It had been about half an hour since she'd woken up screaming. No one had come into her room to see if she was all right. The girl wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Her sister had always been with her when they were younger, but when her friends wanted Meer to hang out with them, she'd grow easily agitated around Lacus. Since their parents were nearly never around, Meer had to take Lacus everywhere, even when she went to her friends' homes. Lacus had always known Meer hated that fact, but had always kept to her word to their parents and took her little sister with her. Of course Lacus usually just sat in the living room or kitchen, sometimes the backyard of Meer's friends' houses. If she was lucky, the adults would talk with her or sometimes one of the mothers would ask Lacus to help her bake cookies or something.

Lacus never complained, since she'd had that sort of respect for her onee-sama, but she easily grew bored. Once she was nine, she began carrying a book or two with her to keep her occupied, but hearing Meer and her friends having fun in the next room or upstairs and knowing she couldn't join in had always been a little hard on her. Not that she wanted Meer's friends; at a young age she'd figured out none of them were very nice girls. They'd even go out of their way to say something mean about her if they were passing through the same room, and Meer would go right on along with them. But after awhile of bearing the insults and jeers, Lacus became used to it. Problems didn't arise again till Lacus was twelve and Meer turned fourteen.

Meer's friends gave up their childish ways and chose to wear the skimpy clothes the models in their teen magazines wore, and they began using make up as though it were a necessity. Taunts became more frequent when Meer dragged Lacus over to her friend's houses. The "big girls" would tease Lacus since she still didn't wear make up, and wouldn't wear a skirt shorter than just slightly above her knees at least. Her clothes also seemed too "childish" for them, and they would snicker seeing her in one of her old dresses. Lacus was never one to have cared what kinds of clothes she had, as long as they were sensible and comfortable.

It was also when Meer and her friends began getting close to boys. But not boys their own age, they thought they weren't good enough. So they decided the older boys in ninth grade were good enough for them. If it weren't for Meer and her friends, Lacus would never have met…

* * *

Turning over onto his other side, Kira groaned in his sleep. After returning to his bedroom, he'd crawled into bed under the warm, safe covers and fallen back to sleep with a warm feeling in his chest, knowing Cagalli was sleeping peacefully. But once his dreams began to form, he found he couldn't understand them.

In his dream, it was nearly completely dark around him, and a fog floated around his ankles. It didn't really feel like anything to him, the fog, so he knew he was dreaming. He didn't know why, but he was walking somewhere, but, he had no idea where that was, it was too dark.

After a few moments, he glanced forward and saw a small form sitting in the fog. He walked closer, and saw it was a young girl. He couldn't see her that well; she was nearly entirely masked by the fog and darkness. What he could see were her lips quivering and the crystalline tears running down her cheeks. She wore a white dress with a thin red ribbon around the waist, but she had her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms around her knees.

"Um, what's wrong?" Kira asked curiously, a confused look of concern crossing his face. He kneeled down next to her, and tried to reach his hand out to place it on her shoulder, but she shied away from his hand when it came close. Kira returned his hand to his side.

The girl sniffled and made as if to turn her head to look over at the young man. "It's lonely here, I'm empty," she mumbled in a small voice.

Kira thought the voice sounded faintly familiar. "Who are you?" he asked curiously, a bit curious about her answer. What did she mean by 'lonely here'? Where _was_ here?

The girl shook her head in answer to his question. "She is supposed to stay with me, but I don't want to see her," she whispered. Kira was extremely confused now.

"What, hey wait!" he called out.

The girl had started to fade into the darkness, but Kira was still curious as to who she was. But to add to his curiosity and confusion, once the little girl faded away, another girl appeared. She too was nearly fully concealed by the darkness and fog around them, and all Kira could see of her face was the lower half. He had a feeling they were the same person, this he felt, and guessed since they were wearing the same dress. This girl he guessed to be ten or eleven, and she was standing in front of him.

"Um," Kira began, unsure of what to say. This was like no dream he'd had before, if he'd even dreamed.

"I hate her," the girl said in a monotone voice. It too sounded like a more mature voice of the little girl, and strangely familiar to Kira.

"Who do you hate?" Kira asked, his eyes focusing on where the girl's eyes were hidden in shadow.

She seemed to stiffen at his concentrated gaze, but replied with, "_Her_…" she stated, her voice still void of emotions, but this time a little sad.

"Why?"

"Because she hates me too, and so do they." she replied, her pale hands curling into fists.

"Who are they?"

"The people who call themselves her friends," the girl said, bowing her head.

Kira saw clear, glistening tears fall to the fog covered ground, and outstretched his hand as though to touch her shoulder. Unlike the little girl, she didn't mind his touch. The boy was surprised at how cold her skin was.

"You're cold," he mumbled in a soft, caring voice.

The girl shifted and her hands silently moved up to rub her upper arms for warmth. She was surprised at the boy's voice and the concern behind it.

"I guess…but it doesn't really matter. It's not like anyone cares…" she mumbled back, before reluctantly letting her hands fall back to her sides.

"That's not true," Kira stated a bit sadly, understanding of the girl's attitude. He knew what she felt, saying those words, and he wished she didn't feel those feelings that plagued him so many times from the sanctuary of his bed and midnight ponderings. "You may not know who, and they might not even know, but there's always at least once person that cares about you," he stated, placing his other hand on the girl's other shoulder. Though this was a dream, this dream girl needed to hear this, and so did he.

"What do you mean?" she asked with a slightly curious, slightly hopeful tone in her voice.

"What I mean, is that there's a person out there who does care about you. You may not know them, and they may not even know you, but they know how you're feeling, and can sometimes feel exactly what you're feeling." he explained with a soft, encouraging smile.

"You mean someone _does_ care about _me_, somewhere?" she asked incredulously, uncertainty evident in her voice.

"Yes. And even if you don't believe me, your heart will still think it's true, and it is. There's someone out there that worries about someone they've never met, or maybe they have? It doesn't really matter there; the important thing is that there _is_ someone out there that does care about you. Never tell yourself no one cares, or that you're not worth caring about. You can close your eyes to things that you don't want to see, but you can't close your heart or anyone else's to what you feel." Kira said these words with an unwavering amount of assurance. He needed to hear this, even if it was from himself.

His explanation seemed to make an impact on the girl; she brought her hands up and rubbed her arms again. She returned them to her sides after a few moments, and smiled at the boy kneeling before her.

"You know, you should listen to yourself. If all that you said is true, then there's someone out there who cares for you." she pointed out, a small, tiny smile cracking on her lips.

Kira gave her a slightly surprised look. He hadn't expected her to say something like that, and it seemed to make his chest constrict slightly. '_Is there someone out there, worrying, caring, thinking about me?_' he wondered silently, hesitantly.

The girl then began to fade away into the darkness, and Kira's hands passed through her now translucent shoulders. "Hey, wait! Who are you?" he asked quickly, before she could disappear.

The small smile on her lips seemed to disappear, and a melancholic frown crossed her lips. She disappeared quickly afterward, and the air surrounding Kira became deathly quiet. He looked around, and saw that the fog had stopped drifting, and seemed frozen in place. Reaching a hand out, he ran it through the thick, white cloud, only for it to pass through as though the fog were merely air. Furrowing his brow as he concentrated on his dream, he wondered if he'd wake up anytime soon.

* * *

Lacus lay on her side in her bed, staring blankly at her hand. The long, delicate fingers that were as pale as sand were resting against the dark fabric of her pillow case. Her eyes stayed on them for a moment before she blinked. The girl's blue gaze then drifted down her hand to her wrist. Reaching forward with her other hand, she pulled the lace sleeve up away from her wrist to gaze at the scars.

Wincing as she looked over each one and traced over it with her soft fingertips, she tried to remember what each one had been for. She could remember every single one. The very first one was gone, faded away, because it had only been accidental. It had been only three years ago, she'd been peeling an apple and the knife slipped. It had barely cut into her flesh, but she still remembers how good the distraction the pain had brought on, how it just cleared her mind of everything but the burning sensation in her wrist.

She sighed, closing her eyes. She was tired; it was two thirty in the morning. The sounds of wind slipping through her windows was calming, in a hauntingly beautiful symphony that could only be better with the sounds of rain falling. It wasn't long before she lulled herself to sleep.

* * *

Hearing the girls laughing upstairs made her bow her head lower and gently swing her feet slowly. Her long hair was let down, and it fell over her face. She liked how her bangs fell onto her face, blocking her eyes from prying eyes. Her father liked to point out how pretty she'd look if she clipped her bangs back, but she was too stubborn. Then her father would laugh and ruffle her hair, secretly tucking her bangs behind her ear. She liked spending time with her father, but it was so rare now that he only liked to spend time with Noreen, Meer's mother. Lacus really didn't like her at all.

There was a crash upstairs, and the girl looked up with curiosity. A woman walked into the living room to glare up the stairs and shout up to the girls. The girls only laughed in shrill voices and said everything was fine. Shaking her head, the woman frowned, and glanced over at the pink haired girl sitting silently on the sofa.

"Now Lacus, don't you go turn out like those girls, you hear me?" the woman asked with a grin.

Lacus only nodded. Her blue eyes were innocently wide and respectful.

The woman walked back into the kitchen, and Lacus glanced down at the forgotten book in her lap. Her hands that lay clasped on top of it moved as though to pick it up, but she was much too bored of it to read it again for what would seem the third time that day. Sighing in boredom, she leaned back into the sofa cushions.

"I read too much," she whispered to herself.

She was about to pick up the book anyway, when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Looking over, she saw her sister standing at the stairwell with a smirk on her face. She was wearing an outfit different from what she was wearing when they came here earlier that morning, and Lacus knew she was wearing her friend's clothes. A bright pink tank top that was a size to small contrasted nicely-_color wise **only**_-with the tight, black athletic shorts she wore. Her long ashen hair was up in a high pony tail, and she was also wearing makeup she hadn't been wearing that morning.

"Hey onee-chan!" she greeted with what sounded like false friendliness.

Lacus could tell her sister wasn't really being nice, but she wanted to believe she was so…Meer was being nice.

"Do you need something Meer?" the blue eyed child asked curiously.

"Yea, I do. Do you think you could ask Ami's mother to make us some lemonade? And could you bring it up to us?" the older girl asked, absently twirling her hair around her finger.

Lacus frowned slightly, "But you're down here, why can't you do it?"

"But I asked you! Please? It can't be that hard! It's not like I ask you to do everything all the time! Do you not like us or something?" Meer asked as though Lacus had refused to let her breath air.

"No, of course not!" Lacus hurriedly said. "I was just wondering, I'll ask right away! I'm sorry if I upset you, big sister," she added with a hint of sorrow. "I'll do it right now, ok? I'll be up as soon as it's ready!" she stated, more for her own defiant self's sake.

Meer smirked and said a quick thanks before rushing up the stairs again. Lacus sighed as she stood from the couch, carefully placing her book in the spot where she'd been sitting, before she walked towards the kitchen doorway.

'_Meer lied…_' she thought to herself. '_She always does_.' she added, referring to Meer's remark on asking her to do things for her.

Carefully balancing the tray, Lacus slowly made her way up the stairs. On the tray were five glasses of pink lemonade, all with three ice cubes and a small wedge of lemon. Ami's mother seemed to have a strange obsession with lemonade and iced tea alike—with the number of ice cubes and the mandatory lemon wedge. Lacus shrugged off her strange thought when she wavered slightly, nearly spilling the tray. That was the last thing she needed.

Walking down the hallway, she came to the overly decorated bedroom door and nudged it open gently with her shoulder. When she stepped in the doorway, the five girls in the room ignored the small newcomer. Lacus looked over at Meer and said in a soft, but loud enough voice,

"Meer, I brought it up, just like you asked," she said.

The girls giggled at how Lacus seemed to be too quiet for their tastes.

The girl's older sister glanced over at her as though it were a chore and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, just put it on the desk and hurry along."

Lacus nodded and walked slowly, still trying to balance the tray that was quite heavy with five glasses sitting on it. One of the girls noticed this, and as Lacus was about to place the tray on the desk, the girl reached out with her leg and tripped the girl. Lacus fell forward and twisted a bit, making the tray drop three glasses on the floor beside her, and the other two landed on the floor, more or less _on_ _her_.

The girls laughed, all except Ami who pretended to be upset the girl just spilled lemonade on her carpet and one of her shirts that had probably been lying there for a day or more anyway.

"Ugh! Look what you did, you clumsy little brat!" the girl shouted, pretending to be outraged much too well.

Lacus sat up quickly with fear and surprise on her face. She knew there had been nothing she could have tripped on! She'd seen the floor right in front of her, there was no way she slipped up—Lacus glanced to her side to see another of Meer's friends giggling and pulling her leg back slowly.

'_So that was it…_' Lacus thought to herself sadly.

Bowing her head and reaching for the spilled glasses, the pink haired child set them back on the tray quickly and quietly.

"I'm very sorry, Ami! Really, I didn't think I'd trip, I'm sorry I'm so clumsy!" Lacus said softly.

"I'm sorry Ami, this is my fault. I knew she was this clumsy, but she asked me so sweetly if she could help out, so I let her get the lemonade for us. I should have just told her it was ok, I'd get it. I'm sorry for the trouble." Meer put in, the smirk on her lips giving away the lie she was telling.

Everyone in the room knew Meer was lying, but the fun part was watching her little sister agree.

"Yes Ami, I am really clumsy. I'm sorry," Lacus said again, standing up with the tray and empty glasses in her hands. "I'll be right back to clean it up, would you like more lemonade too?" she asked.

"No, we weren't really that thirsty anyway," the girl who'd tripped her stated matter-of-factly.

As Lacus left the room, she could hear the giggling and cruel remarks from her sister and Meer's friends.

Walking into the kitchen, Ami's mother turned around when she heard the tray being placed on the counter. Her grin disappeared when she saw Lacus with the sad look in her eyes and the large, light pink stain on her white dress.

"Lacus, what happened?" she asked as though the obvious wasn't obvious enough.

"I," before she could say anything, Ami's mother grabbed a clean cloth from the sink and began rubbing it on the nonexistent lemonade marks on her cheeks and then moving to dab at the stain.

"Did one of those girls spill it on you? Or trip you? I swear I'm going to," Ami's mother stated with anger as the stain began to appear on the cloth.

"No, it wasn't their fault!" Lacus claimed. "I tripped and spilled the tray, I'm really sorry! I'm just too clumsy; I shouldn't have begged Meer to let me get the lemonade for them. I'm really sorry; I'll clean up the stain in the carpet too! I'm really sorry!" Lacus explained softly.

Ami's mother stared at her as though she'd grown a second head.

"You? Clumsy? I don't think so! You're the most graceful little girl I know!" she said with a smile.

"No, I'm clumsy, really. Just not so much around adults." the girl explained dejectedly.

The woman frowned in confusion as the little girl lifted her head and smiled brightly as though everything was perfect and right in the world.

"Now, I'll just try to get some of this stain out, and go upstairs to clean up the carpet, okay?" she more stated than asked.

The sound of the doorbell ringing made the woman glance up, and Lacus stepped aside so she could go answer the door. Lacus watched her for a moment before picking up the cloth and continuing in dabbing the stain. A few moments later, Ami's mother came back into the kitchen and sighed out of frustration.

"Lacus?" she asked, gaining the child's attention. "When you're older, don't turn out like my daughter,"

Lacus nodded respectively, and turned to walk out of the kitchen so she could go to the closet and get out the cleaning supplies. But after she'd gone through the kitchen doorway, she looked up from dabbing the stain to see a boy around her sister's age leaning against the sofa.

She froze in her tracks and felt her breath catch in her throat. Something, about the boy, wasn't right. He seemed…odd, out of place, terra incognita. When he turned and his eyes fell upon her, she felt a chill rake her spine. The corners of his lips turned up in a smirk, and Lacus felt she'd seen that smirk before.

"Hey." he greeted coolly, raising a hand in greeting.

Lacus only watched him warily, and surprised. She guessed her eyes were like a deer's caught in headlights and were giving her away. She looked down, and began dabbing at the stain again. He would laugh, maybe make a remark, and then go upstairs to be with the girls. That was why he was here, right? She heard footsteps walking towards her, and felt someone staring down at her. She looked up hesitantly, her eyes wide in curiosity and uncertain fear. Why wasn't he upstairs yet?

"Are you mute? Or deaf?" he asked, that smirk still on his lips.

She shook her head, too frightened to look away.

"Well then, why won't you at least dignify me with a response?"

"…Hi…?" she asked.

"That's better." he stated, crossing his arms and continuing to stare down at her.

When she didn't say anything, he rolled his eyes and glanced over at the sofa seat. He noticed the book and Lacus watched him walk over and pick it up. He looked at the cover, and flipped through a few pages. He glanced over at her and held it up.

"Aoi Samurai, huh? So, do you know who was reading this? I doubt it was any of the dumbsluts up there," he said, gesturing to the stairwell. "And Mrs. Mahou doesn't read anything unless it's a cooking magazine. It couldn't be Mr. Mahou, he doesn't like adventure-fantasies." the boy stated, as though talking to himself.

"…That's my book…" Lacus confessed, looking away. She didn't like his eyes, especially when they were looking at her.

"Really? This is a pretty mature novel, I didn't know they were letting seventh graders read it now." he confessed, still smirking at her.

"I'm only in sixth grade," Lacus replied quietly.

The boy's eyes widened slightly, "You mean, you're still in elementary school?" he asked incredulously.

"They _are_ from first to sixth you know," she stated coldy, hoping he'd leave.

The boy set the book back down and stared at her for awhile.

"Hmm, you wouldn't happen to be Lacus, would you?" he inquired, placing a finger on his chin.

Lacus nodded slightly.

"Meer mentioned you, a few days ago. Said her ditz of a little sister ruined her favorite miniskirt so she had to wear one of her older ones instead."

Lacus kept her eyes on the floor; her hands kept twisting the cloth between her fingers.

"You didn't do anything to it, did you?" he asked. "I knew because I heard her complaining to her friends earlier how her step-dad wouldn't let her out of the house with a skirt that short. You seem to be a popular scapegoat, huh?" he asked.

Lacus kept quiet.

He walked over to her again, and leaned down a bit so he'd be at eye level if she'd look up at him. She only glanced up at him hesitantly to see how close he was, and she silently gasped. Their noses were almost touching, and his eyes were so close, she couldn't look away. At that moment, she was glad her bangs were covering her eyes slightly.

Pulling a hand up, he brushed her bangs away from her eyes, and smirked when she moved slightly away. He grinned, and stood up straight once again.

"You know, you have beautiful eyes. You shouldn't hide them like that; people will think you're hiding something terrible from them."

Before Lacus could try and gather herself to make a smart remark, footsteps from the stairs caught both their attention. The girls were standing by the door, slipping their shoes on and giggling with each other, _again_.

"Hey Ketsuke!" Meer greeted with a sly smirk. "I see you've met my sister. Don't mind her; she's just a loud mouthed nuisance."

"Come on, let's get going!" Ami stated before they began to hurry out the door.

Lacus saw two other boys waited outside and they both smirked when the girls walked over to them.

Meer waited for Ketsuke as he took his sweet time walking over to her. He was still wearing his shoes, so they didn't have to wait long before Meer was out the door, tugging on his arm. He glanced over his shoulder to smirk at Lacus before calling, "See you around."

Meer looked over at her and smirked before Ketsuke closed the front door. It was then that Lacus knew why Ketsuke's smirk had seemed all too familiar.

He and Meer both smirked at her in the same way.

* * *

Opening her eyes and sitting up panting for the second time that morning, Lacus felt another layer of cold sweat coating her. She hated this feeling, this overwhelming feeling that always seemed to capture her in a corner and not let her out of its grasp. It became hard to breathe, and her ears wouldn't stop ringing. She'd hear everything and nothing at the same time. She'd lose all feelings of reality, and feel out of place. Then she'd re-live every single one of her memories in seconds, before everything just became one fast moving blur.

She slowly rose herself from her bed, and began walking towards the bathroom door. She opened it quietly, not that there was anyone to hear her, and slipped in. She was a bit surprised to see the room fully illuminated with the pale blue light from the moon slipping through the windows. Glancing over to the medicine cabinet connected to the wall, she slowly made her way towards it, and opened it hesitantly. The small plastic cases, each holding its own razor blade, seemed to glow menacingly in the pale light. Reaching for one shakily, she grasped it and opened it.

The razor, when held up in the moonlight, looked beautiful yet deadly. The way the moonlight gleamed off the sharp edge made her fingers tingle with an itch to stop the pain in her head. That was why she was holding the damned object, wasn't it? To relieve herself of the pain crashing through her mind?

She lowered the blade carefully to a section of pale, illuminated skin on her arm. Feeling the pressure of the paper thin weapon pressing against her arm sent a ripple of ache through her nerves. But just before she could push harder and slash the skin, one memory surfaced in her mind long enough for her to see it.

"_**But only if you promise me something,"** His words were gentle and soft…_

"_What?"_

"_**Don't hurt yourself like this. It's not healthy, do you understand me?"** He sounded so protective, and like he even really cared…_

"_**I don't want you to hurt yourself like this,"** He seemed so sad, like he really didn't like what I was doing…_

"_**I do know what the feeling is,"** Does he really?_

"_I…believe you, Kira…"_

_**And then he smiled**, as though he **knew everything could be okay**…as though he **really was hoping I would be okay**…_

"Kira!?" she whispered in surprise. Why was she thinking of him just now? Just because he'd given her a talk like that? People who are miserable strive to find something or someone more miserable than themselves…Was Kira like that? No, he wasn't. He would rather put himself in harm's way than to see someone get hurt, in any way. But he was so…_lifeless_…sometimes. Not telling teachers what happened to him in the hallways, just sitting there quietly and trying hard not to cause any attention to be drawn to him. He was so soft and gentle, from what she knew. He was nice to her, to Miriallia, and he was protective and caring of his sister. No one could be better than him; no one could hold higher standing in her eyes, other than him.

It was then she remembered what she would sometimes see in his eyes when no one was watching him. When he thought no one was looking his way. His eyes would grow tormented and full of something too familiar to Lacus. His eyes were full of them…Sometimes when he looked at her, she could see them crashing in his amethyst orbs. His eyes were full of silent screams, crying out for someone to notice them. She knew from mirrors her eyes often held them.

"Kira," she whispered, shrinking to the floor with her back against the wall. "Why are you screaming? What are you screaming about?"

It wasn't till she felt a slippery, sharp edge poking her finger that she realized in her left hand she held a bloody razor, and there was a thin line of red dripping down her arm. It wasn't much, only like a scrape would cause. But what surprised her was, that it wasn't the pain she created on her arm that had made her mental pain disappear, hell, she didn't even notice it till now; it was thinking of Kira and how he'd been worried and concerned _for_ her that took the painful memories away.

"Kira…" she whispered, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around the silk covering her legs.

**Okay, I have to say I'm not too proud of this chapter. I really screwed up in Kira's parts. See, the idea of this chapter was better two months ago when I only ran it through my head. But once I got it down, it didn't sound too good, so for half a month, I only spent time on revising the first half with Kira's dreams and stuff, which I think are messing with the flow of my story. I did like Lacus's parts though, and I think I just gave you all a good insight to her past. And I think I gave too much away for the event that happened in the beginning of the chapter…Hmmm…**

**Oh, and I wanted to thank all of my wonderful reviewers for still supporting me, even though school's started and I'm no longer updating once every one or two weeks. As a hint though, I only update after receiving a no excuses minimum of 15 reviews. Less than that? I sit around waiting till I get em, even if the next chapter is ready to go. Exactly that? Depending on how many hits have been counted, and how long I've waited, (Max of plain waiting for reviews: one week) I'll update reluctantly. More than 15? I dance around, thinking of my wonderful reviewers and what I should put in the next chapter to satisfy them. Okay, now that that's settled…**

**Thank you beautiful reviewers, Writer's Block is gone, juices and ideas are flowing, and this story is just getting good! Lots more surprises in store! Bye-Bye Buddies! I'm off to catch some late night anime and fall asleep in time to get at least nine hours of sleep to keep me going all week so I can survive on them till next Saturday night to do it all over again! (I'm running like some toy car, charged one night all night so I only have to be charged for a few minutes through out the week…oh joy, now I have relevance to toy cars)**

**Also, if any of you are reading this far down, thank you so much! I just wanted to say that I just created a one-shot (may become a story, depends on what the reviewers want) that my KiraxLacus fans would probably enjoy. I just wanted to put it out there to people who like KxL stories that aren't just Fluffy, Fluffily Fluff with a dash of Fluff on the side kind of stories. (Not that there's anything wrong with stories like that) It's just that I think my new creation, **_Need_**, seems to be satisfyingly bittersweet. Nothing too big, it could probably pass for a T rating, but M just to be safe. Just wanted to mention it to my oh so special readers who may not have me on their alert list and just this story. Well, sorry to take up so much time, I promise the Author's notes won't ever get this long again! Heheh, bye.**

Sam


	11. Smiles and Roses

**For You**

Hey everybody, sorry for the really long wait. School seems like it's out to get me or something…and though I thought Writer's Block was over…it seems like it still had to zap me of my ideas for **For You**…Luckily, I got some ideas while in my sugar high from eating a whole bag of Oreos.

Well, sorry last chapter was so confusing…personally I did kinda like it, but hey, I probably got it better than my precious readers since I'm the psycho writing it! **Link2143**, sorry bout all the flashbacks. I guess it's just too easy to write them than other things for me, and I'm a sucker for them too, heh. I'll try to use different ways to talk about my character's past, thanks for the advice! And **jin of ice**, I guess I addressed the cutting issue incorrectly. I've never cut myself or anything of the sort, except for paper cuts and accidental scrapes or something…But when I said it was just a phase I was going through, I meant a writing phase. Of course, I'm out of that mood, and I think this chapter will make you all feel happier inside about Lacus like it did for me while I wrote it. And lastly, thank you all my beautiful readers for supporting my story, it makes me feel good inside! **KL-Felicia**, thank you so much for your generous compliment! And **Shadow Chaser**, thanks for your review, it really spurred me into finishing this chapter!

(Crap, lengthy Author's Note again…) Sorry everybody!

**Chapter 11 Smiles and Roses**

Kira hurriedly shoved his books into his school bag as his sister did the same. They'd both been in very high spirits since Muruta hadn't returned home all weekend. In fact, all day Sunday the siblings had just been lazy and watched TV together all day. Of course Kira ruined Cagalli's good mood in the afternoon when he reminded her to do her homework assignments. But he was only being her big brother, so she forgave him.

The brunette had been turning over his odd dream about the strange little girl the whole Sunday, though masking it away from Cagalli. It had been a very nice change of plans, to have just been able to be together and be lazy like old times, without having to worry about Muruta. He didn't remember the last time he was able to just be lazy and sit around with Cagalli and watch TV. Sure, he'd have rather they'd gone out to do something, but she'd wanted to stay home for the day. Kira hadn't minded, and they still had fun.

Glancing over at her brother, Cagalli smiled gently to herself. Kira seemed so much happier today, and he looked more like he used to when they were kids. She, too, was happy about the free day to themselves, and was happy knowing her big brother liked it too.

The brunette stood waiting by the door while she slipped on her shoes. Kira smiled at her as they exited the mansion and began down the walkway. The blonde walked closer to her brother, and she reached out to grasp his hand in her own tightly as they walked. Kira was a bit surprised, since she usually didn't go out to hold his hand; it was usually the other way around. But just seeing the innocent smile on her lips and the light in her eyes was enough to push the oddity away from his mind.

"That bruise is disappearing already," she pointed out after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

Kira nodded, "Yeah."

The girl glanced up at him with a little bit of concern in her eyes, "Does it hurt?"

"No, it doesn't. Don't worry about it." He answered reassuringly, grinning.

Cagalli nodded and stared ahead of them. The morning was nice and cool, with the frequent warm breezes blowing past. Autumn was already beginning to show signs of its coming, gently touching the greenery with gold and crimson. Autumn was Cagalli's favorite time of year, the colors always amazed her. She also loved the smell of crisp, clean air mixed with leaves. The scent was enough to energize her all day.

Looking over at her brother, she saw his eyes seemed to be glazed over, like he was thinking about something. She didn't think much of it, since he had a peaceful look on his face. He was probably just thinking about a test or something at school.

It wasn't long before the siblings reached the school, and parted ways. Kira watched as Cagalli met up with Stellar and Shinn, who joined her walking into the building. It was still early, and not many students were there yet. Kira was surprised he was able to get Cagalli out the door so fast that morning. But then again, they'd both gotten a good night's sleep, and that probably just made waking up easier.

He walked up the steps to the High School and strode through the main doors casually. To his luck, the halls were barely filled. Quickly making his way to his locker, he walked down the hallway with his eyes on the tiles at his feet. Since his eyes were on the ground, he didn't notice the person standing at his locker.

Just when he was only a few steps away from his locker, Kira looked up slowly, only to widen his eyes a bit. Lacus stood not far from his locker with her back against the nearby lockers. Her eyes seemed to be fixed on something around the window to the right that showed an outdoor courtyard. But though she didn't look different than usual, Kira felt there was something…different _about_ her today.

He took another step towards his locker, wondering if she noticed him, but froze when she looked over at him. It felt as though the air had been taken from his lungs and the area around him, yet he didn't find the need to breathe.

She cocked her head to the side a bit, and smiled. It was then that he saw it. It was…her eyes. Combined with her smile, her pale blue eyes lit up like small stars. The normal, cloudy, glazed-over look that usually filled them was gone, and replaced with a clear, crystal-like color that could outshine an aquamarine.

"Morning Kira," she greeted softly with a slightly raised hand, her voice also sounding different. As though, she was in a serene state of mind.

The boy didn't know why he'd frozen when he saw her eyes, but he tried his best to pull his gaze away from hers.

"Uh, morning Lacus." he replied back, smiling gently.

Lacus stared at him thoughtfully for a moment as he went to his locker, her eyes never leaving him. She watched him till he closed his locker door gently and hefted his bag up on his shoulder, and turned to her with a grin.

"How was your weekend?" he asked as they began walking towards their homeroom.

Lacus was quiet for a moment, hesitating. Her hand drifted up to her left arm, absently scratching at the spot where she'd cut herself Sunday, very early in the morning. The mark she'd left behind was so thin and small, that she'd been able to just clean it and put a thin layer of bandages over it. She probably could have used a band-aid, but didn't have any that would cover the entire cut. Now, it just itched like crazy.

"It was boring," she answered finally. "How about yours?" she questioned.

"Well," Kira began. He was quiet for a few seconds; he'd seen her hand move to gently rub a spot on her arm. Had she hurt herself again? "It was all right. I was pretty lazy all weekend, since my fa-uh," he struggled a minute while trying to fathom Muruta was his father. "Since my _father_ was away the whole time." He finished, adding a little disdain to the word _father_.

Lacus nodded, and then seemed to remember something. "Was your mother with him?" she asked innocently.

Kira choked slightly, his mind instantly flashing images of a woman with green eyes and violet hair. The question tore at his heart, he hadn't been expecting it. Not at all, even though he knew it might be coming up sometime from Lacus or Miriallia.

Bowing his head, he sighed softly. "No." he answered quietly. "We really should get to class," he added.

The pink haired girl nodded, a curious and concerned expression on her face, and followed him into Ms. Ramius's classroom. Lacus noticed the faraway look in his eyes, and wondered what seemed to be troubling him. '_Kira_…' she thought to herself.

* * *

Stellar was telling Shinn about Saturday and how she'd managed to get Cagalli in a dress while the trio walked to their lockers. Ahmed was in the computer lab, getting a project done, so he couldn't join them.

Cagalli sighed when Stellar began telling about their experience in the shoe store, just as she reached her locker. Reaching forward, she dialed her locker combination and opened the metal door, only to look up and widen her eyes. Stellar glanced over at Cagalli, and saw the same thing her friend saw.

A single red rose was taped to the inside of her locker, with a small white ribbon tied around the stem under the flower. Reaching out and peeling the flower from the locker, Cagalli examined it up close, seeing that it was indeed real, and also smelled sweet.

Turning towards her two friends, Cagalli raised an eyebrow at them suspiciously.

"All right, which one of you put this here?" she questioned.

"Cagalli, we didn't put it there." Stellar stated. Shinn nodded, agreeing with her, both had wide and curious eyes.

Cagalli rolled her eyes, "It was Ahmed then, wasn't it? Wonder how he thinks this is so funny," she mumbled to herself.

"Wonder how what's so funny?" a voice asked from behind them.

The three looked up to see their tan skinned friend with a small stack of papers in his hands. He was looking at them with confusion in his eyes, until he saw the rose in Cagalli's hand. His eyes immediately widened, and he gained an angered expression on his face.

"Where'd that come from!?" he demanded, walking up to Cagalli, and looking down at the flower in her hand with a burning glare.

Cagalli looked at her friends with suspicion, confusion, and then curiosity. Looking down at the rose in her hand, she cocked her head to the side.

"If none of you did this, then who could have gotten my locker open? None knows my combination except you guys," she added, looking up at her friends.

They shook their heads as Stellar spoke up, "I never said a word about it. And Shinn can't even remember his own combination. Ahmed?" she asked, all eyes drifting towards their brown eyed friend.

He looked like he was still angered by the flower, and kept glaring at it, as though willing it to wilt and die on the spot.

"Well, if you guys didn't do it, and none of you told anyone my combination, who could have done it?" the blonde girl questioned.

Before Cagalli could try and start thinking about it, Stellar had grabbed her wrist and was pulling her towards class.

"Come on Cagalli, think about your secret admirer later! WE need to get to class and finish our report!"

"What do you mean? I finished mine Friday in class!" the girl snapped back.

"Well I didn't!" Stellar declared as though that solved everything before dragging Cagalli into their classroom.

* * *

After the lunch bell rang, Lacus and Kira were already walking towards their usual spot. Neither bothered to try and make small talk, they both enjoyed the quiet. They sat down next to each other, and began eating their lunch in silence. They'd been wondering where Miriallia had been all day and guessed that she was sick.

As Lacus was taking a sip from her water bottle, she glanced over at Kira, and saw that he was staring at her. When she swallowed, she set her bottle down and turned to look at him.

"Kira?" she asked curiously.

The boy looked like he was about to avert his gaze to something else, other than the girl sitting beside him, but his gaze didn't falter.

"Lacus, your arm…" he began, pointing to her left arm. "Did you…?" he began, a concerned expression on his face.

The girl looked down, her eyes guilt stricken. It would be no use denying it, Kira would know, she had a feeling he had known since this morning. Instead of answering him aloud, she could only nod her head. She was expecting him to ask why, and she was trying to come up with a way to avoid telling him, when he surprised her.

She looked over at him, and saw he was offering his hand to her. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"If you ever feel…like doing this to yourself again…" he began softly. "My hand is open. I'll always be here for you Lacus, all right? Now, please…don't do this anymore," he pleaded, his eyes filled with concern.

Lacus found herself frozen in his eyes. She could see pain hidden in them, and despair. But she could also see concern, _for her_, and she could also see that he **_cared_**. He cared about whether or not she hurt herself…_**he cared about** her_.

"Kira…I'm sorry," she whispered, reaching out and clutching his hand tightly after a few moments of hesitation and consideration.

He smiled and used his thumb to massage her hand. He knew she was hiding something, from him, from everyone. But, he also knew, that like himself, she couldn't tell anyone. Even he wouldn't say a word about what happened to him at his adoptive father's hand. Whatever the girl was hiding, he didn't want her to tell him because he told her to. He couldn't do that. It wouldn't be fair.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, you've done nothing wrong. Whatever is going on, it's not your fault. You know that, right?" he said softly.

Lacus used her free hand to rub at her eyes roughly, she didn't want to cry, not in front of Kira-or at least, not again.

"You know," she said, pulling her hand down and glancing at his hand holding hers. "You sound like a counselor or something,"

They both chuckled grimly, and Lacus looked over at Kira. A smile graced her pale pink lips, and Kira returned it. Their eyes were locked, and Lacus felt his thumb stop stroking her hand. She glanced down slightly, taking in their hands, and she blushed slightly. Kira looked down as well, and bit his bottom lip nervously. They pulled their hands slowly apart and averted their gazes elsewhere.

"But…you do know, right?" he repeated, the concern in his voice enough to have made her cry.

Lacus bowed her head, furrowing her brow. Was it her fault? Was any of it her fault? Had she done something, something to bring this to happen? She wasn't sure, but she wasn't sure she was undeserving of it either.

"Hm…" she mumbled to herself.

Kira looked at her in worry, but didn't say anything more.

* * *

Athrun sighed as a boy rambled about the party on Saturday to a sophomore class girl sitting on his lap. The blue haired boy was sitting at a lunch table, surrounded by his "friends", or mindless followers, when it came to Athrun Zala; they were one and the same.

Athrun was actually tired and bored, and surprisingly Dearka wasn't bragging about sleeping with a girl. In fact, both he and Yzak seemed quieter than usual. Dearka also seemed like something was troubling him. Though he was at least the smallest bit concerned, Athrun didn't make any effort to ask the blonde what was up. Instead he turned to his blue eyed friend.

"So Yzak, did you and Megumi meet up at the party?" the green eyed boy asked.

"Yeah." the other answered, his eyes still staring at the soda in his hand.

Athrun cocked an eyebrow, "So what has you so down? She didn't refuse you, did she?"

Yzak shook his head, "No…that wasn't it. She was actually pretty willing. It's just, I guess I'm bored of her already." he reasoned, as though it was a perfectly good reason.

Athrun sat back in his seat and sighed. "So, did you leave her yet?" he asked airily.

"Not yet. I want to find another girl first," was the answer he got.

"What about you Dearka?" Athrun asked, hoping he would say something that would pull him out of boredom.

"No…I, wasn't really, into it. There was a girl who seemed to be interested, but I turned her down. Dunno why, I guess I had some things on my mind." The tan skinned boy replied.

Groaning dejectedly, Athrun returned to being entirely bored. He had had a fling with one of the girls, but it hadn't really been anything big. Just something to pass the time. Afterwards though, he'd felt…odd. He couldn't get the feeling of something grimy clinging to him off his skin, and it bothered him all Saturday night, and all Sunday morning. But what had been tumbling around in his mind for the past two days, was the blonde girl he'd run into Saturday afternoon.

'_Cagalli…Azrael Cagalli…_' he thought to himself silently.

In his mind, the blue haired teen kept picturing the last time he'd kissed her. They'd been serving a detention together, and having to clean a classroom. The sun had been beginning to set early, and the entire classroom had been completely empty except for them and the golden light from the sunset. When he'd approached her, he knew she'd been a bit scared, and then it had been a turn on. But now that he was thinking about it again, he found that what had happened such a short time ago, no longer appealed to him.

He didn't look at other girls the same way lately, he just couldn't look at any of them without thinking of the fiery blonde girl. He also hadn't really slept with the girl he'd supposedly "hooked up" with at the party Saturday night. She'd been drunk off her ass, and all he'd done was barely begin to undress her before he just couldn't stand the sight of her anymore. When he'd been unbuttoning her blouse, he'd looked at her face, and had thought he saw Azrael's little sister's face, but then the girl had moaned, and he saw her again. And he was disgusted—with her for getting drunk and willing for someone to get in her pants, and with himself for acting like such a fucking fool.

Bringing a hand up to his face, Athrun rubbed the bridge of his nose gently. Even with his eyes closed, all he was thinking about was how disappointed he felt towards himself, and the strange feeling-craving-for the blonde girl.

'_What's happening to me?_' he asked himself curiously.

* * *

Cagalli sighed softly walking to her locker. She'd left her History book in it since there was usually too much to carry if she lugged around all of it, and she would be late to class if she didn't hurry. The blonde sighed quietly as she reached the hallway where her locker was located, and she slowly walked down, her eyes not really taking in the scene as she walked. Had she been looking, she would have seen the dark red rose taped to the door of her locker sooner.

Freezing only a few feet from her locker, Cagalli stared wide eyed at the flower. The clear tape that stuck the stem to the metal locker door glistened slightly in the light from both the hall lights, and also the sunlight spilling through the windows nearby. The girl slowly walked towards her locker, her mind whirling around the flower. Who'd left it? When? Was it the same person who'd left the one that morning? Or was it someone else? Did she have a secret admirer or something? Or, was it a prank? Was someone watching her right now, just to see what she'd do, just to laugh about it later?

Cagalli reached out hesitantly, and her hand froze for a millisecond just before her fingertips brushed the stem. She ran her thumb gently over the thorn on the side of the flower, feeling a small prick in her finger. Pulling her hand back slowly, her tongue darted out to lick the small drop of blood forming on her finger. Amber eyes narrowed, and the girl gently pulled the flower with her other hand from the locker door. She then went through her lock combination quickly and opened her locker door to grab her History book.

Once the heavy book was in her position, the blonde teenager shut the locker, locked her lock, and turned around, finding the hallway empty. Just as she turned to run towards her classroom, she froze at the loud, shrill sound of the late bell ringing.

"Crap," the girl cursed quietly before she took off down the hall, her books and the flower held tightly in her hands.

Reaching the closed door of her history class, Cagalli stood outside the door for a moment, trying to slow her pants and look like she hadn't just ran as fast as she could without toppling over to get to class. Bowing her head slightly, the blonde reached out and opened the classroom door, stepping inside quietly.

"I'm sorry I'm late…" she began, but stopped upon hearing the room completely quiet down due to her entrance.

"Oh Cagalli! You picked the perfect chance to be late! Mrs. Melrose hasn't gotten here yet!" Stellar called from her seat in the middle row.

Cagalli smiled in relief, and headed towards her seat beside Stellar. The rest of the class resumed their conversations, and Stellar placed her chin in her hands as she balanced her elbows on her desk. She smiled brightly as she watched her friend sit down, and her eyes widened at the sight of the new rose.

"Another one!?" Stellar exclaimed quietly, eyeing the flower with curiosity and amusement.

"Yeah, it was just taped to my locker. I'm really not sure about this though, I mean, it could be," Cagalli rambled, caressing one of the dark red petals with her index finger.

"A prank?" Stellar interjected, looking back at her friend.

"Yeah…" Cagalli replied back, looking a bit downed.

Stellar inclined her head to the side a bit, a thoughtful look on her face.

Cagalli placed her crossed arms on her desk and set her chin down, staring at the delicate flower on eye level. Her amber eyes took in the flower with uncertainty and curiosity. She didn't want it to be a prank…it would be a pretty cruel joke. But, she didn't really care if it was just a shy admirer…right? Or, did she want someone to really be interested in her, giving her the flowers…

'_Since when do I care about things like this?_' the girl thought defiantly to herself.

Sitting up straight, Cagalli gave a small glare towards the flower. She didn't care, and it would stay that way. If someone wanted to leave a flower taped to her locker, it was fine by her. As she reached her conclusion, the classroom door opened again, and in walked their teacher.

"All right everyone, get out your books and turn to page 216! Read chapter sixteen and answer the chapter questions! Quickly now, everyone get your books!" Mrs. Melrose demanded, immediately falling into Teacher-Mode as she sat down at her desk.

Cagalli and the other students grinned and shook their heads as they followed the woman's orders. The blonde haired teen placed her other books in the metal basket underneath her chair before she pulled the History book from the pile, and then quietly dropped it onto her desk. She also grabbed her notebook and a pencil and set those down beside the textbook. The girl then went and opened the front cover of the book, about to flip to the designated page, when she noticed a folded up piece of paper sitting on the first page of the book.

Looking down at it as though it were a foreign object, Cagalli furrowed her brow and picked up the paper. It was folded into a small square, not much larger than a tea packet. Unfolding it curiously, the girl peered at the neat, cursive handwriting on the paper. Her eyes widened slightly and she continued to stare at the message with a surprised expression. On the note it read: _Lilies are White, Violets are Blue, You're beautiful, and this Rose is for You_.

The blonde girl felt her cheeks become warm, and she stared incredulously at the note. Her eyes were wide, and her throat became dry. She slowly, shakily, crumpled the paper into a small ball in her fist, and she set it on the side of her desk quietly. Turning back to her textbook, she turned to the page, and began reading. But her mind wouldn't process the words she read, and her eyes kept looking back towards the note.

"_You're a beautiful girl…"_

Cagalli's eyes widened in bewilderment and shock as she heard a boy's voice in her head. For some reason, she'd thought of Athrun Zala…and, she had imagined him giving her a compliment.

'_What's happening to me?_' the girl wondered silently, staring blankly at her equally blank sheet of paper.

* * *

Kira and Lacus both walked slowly to the School's Library. It was their free period finally, and they wanted to study together for a History Project Ms. Ramius had assigned that day. They were conversing quietly with each other as they walked through the hallways, ignoring the passing glances from other students, and only looking at each other.

When they finally made it to the Library, Kira opened the door and held it as Lacus walked in through the doorway, smiling sheepishly at him. The two immediately headed towards the back of the library which was near a set of windows overlooking the courtyard where they'd been for lunch only a short time ago. It was nearly always isolated and quiet back there, and the librarians couldn't overhear conversations this far into the library. Both teens set their books and binders down on one of the two small tables, and then sat in chairs next to each other.

Kira pulled out his textbook, and flipped to a specific section and page. Lacus had flipped open the book in the back to inspect the index, but glanced over and saw Kira was already at the page.

"You remembered it that specifically?" she asked, amazed.

"Yeah, I've always been good at remembering things," Kira mumbled shyly.

The girl smiled warmly and looked over at the page number before flipping to the same page as her companion. Both also pulled out their notebooks, and scribbled down notes silently as they read through the text. After a few moments, Lacus glanced over and saw Kira had just finished writing down something she'd just noticed and was about to write down. She quickly glanced again at the text, and wrote down an important fact. At the same time, Kira had watched her write it out in her beautiful, neat, cursive handwriting on her opened page of the notebook. The long haired girl turned and cast a challenging glance towards the brunette, and the corners of Kira's lips turned up into a grin. The two then bent their heads over their textbooks, hurriedly reading through the many paragraphs of text, and picking out the information they needed for their project, and writing them out as quickly and neatly as they could.

Milliseconds after Kira flipped the page, Lacus also turned the page, still hurriedly trying to get her notes down before Kira did. But the boy was still faster, and after only three minutes he was nearly done with the entire section. His notebook page was also nearly filled. Lacus was only a page behind him, and she glanced over to see he was finishing the last page. Her pale pink lips curling into a Cheshire grin, she dropped her pencil on her notebook and slowly reached her hand over towards Kira's textbook. Just as he was about to read the last paragraph, the girl gently nudged the book with her fingers, easily unsettling the book and making it teeter on the edge of the table before falling to the ground with a loud THUD!

Kira had looked up unexpectedly and just stared at the fallen textbook, before looking over towards his pink haired friend. Lacus had looked back at her text book, and was also finally at the last paragraph of the section. But Kira's eyes lit up with mischief, and he reached over and grabbed for her textbook. Lacus also dropped her pencil again, and reached to grab it before Kira successfully pushed it off the table. But while leaning over and trying to reach her textbook, she slowly began to slide out of her chair. Kira leaned over a little more to his left, and towards Lacus, as he tried to push the book off the table. He, also, was slipping out of his chair.

Lacus felt the textbook slip away from her grasp and watched it fall to the floor with a loud thud, but she had also fallen from her chair and landed on her back, while the brown eyed boy slipped from his chair and completely missed hers as he fell nearly on top of her. Kira had managed to push himself away from her when he fell by pushing against her chair. But the way he landed was odd, and he fell forward and landed on the carpet with his face beside Lacus's. Nonetheless, after a moment of realization of their predicament, the two began laughing hard. As they slowly sat up, having difficulty due to their unstoppable laughs, a woman with her hair pulled back into a tight bun walked out from behind a bookcase and told them to be quiet in the library.

The two bit their lower lips with pink in their cheeks as the woman walked away, and once they determined she was out of earshot, they hissed and chuckled, struggling to keep their laughter quiet. Kira was the first to regain control of himself, and he simply held a large smile on his lips as he reached for Lacus's fallen textbook. He slowly set it back up on the table, and turned to Lacus who was now smiling but shaking her head in amusement towards herself. But she winced when she tried to move her left arm. Her right hand immediately went to a certain spot on her arm, and Kira frowned in concern.

"Lacus…" he said quietly, moving himself closer to her and sitting down on the floor beside her.

"It's nothing, just a little sore," she replied quietly, not making eye contact with the boy beside her.

Kira lowered his eyes to her arm, and he slowly reached out to it with both hands. Grasping her hand and wrist gently, Lacus removed her own hand, allowing Kira to slowly and carefully roll up her sleeve. Kira winced slightly, seeing the scars littering her arm, but his eyes rested on the bandaged area. Lacus sighed gently, and watched as he slowly removed the gauze from her arm, unraveling it just as carefully as he'd lifted her sleeve. But Kira felt a small breath of relief blow through him at seeing the harmless incision made on the girl's arm. It really did look like an animal had just scratched or bit her a bit too deep. As he rolled down the sleeve once again after rewrapping the bandages around Lacus's cut, his eyes secretly scanned her arm for any other cuts, and also quickly inspected the scars. What made him feel a bit more relieved inside was that he noticed that out of all the scars she had, the girl hadn't once cut too close to her hand or near any veins. There weren't even scars close by to say that she'd thought about it. But the cold truth of the matter was that the girl had so many cuts along her arm…it made him wonder exactly what was going on in her mind. It also reminded him of the cut he'd made on his own wrist. He'd been inspecting it just yesterday, and had found that his skin, for some reason, hadn't formed any noticeable scar. If you looked hard, you could see it, but otherwise, it looked as though it'd never happened.

'_I wish it hadn't…_' the boy thought to himself as he let go of the girl's sleeve, but still holding onto the girl's pale hand. He looked up into her face, and her clear, blue eyes, his own eyes filling with worry, concern, and sadness. '_And I wish…that it had never happened to her…_'

"Lacus…" Kira began, seeing the conflict and guilt swimming in her eyes.

"Kira," she replied quietly. "I…I guess you win. I cheated," she admitted with a slight blush and smile.

Kira looked at her with a blank expression, but his gaze softened and then he smiled warmly towards her.

"Let's call it a tie," he replied.

The two stared at each other for a few awkward moments, both unsure of what they were doing. Kira then began to slowly lean forward, and Lacus began to lean towards him as well. Their eyes began to close slowly, and when their faces were only a few inches apart, they heard footsteps coming, and the spell that had been pulling them closer together seemed to evaporate, and they pulled away immediately with bright red blushes on their cheeks.

The same librarian from before walked by, not even sending a glance in their direction. Kira stood, and turned towards Lacus before holding his hand out to her, an embarrassed smile on his lips. She too held the same smile, but nonetheless took his hand and stood with his help. She walked over to his side of the table and picked up his textbook, holding it tightly to her chest with her back to Kira. Kira had his gaze focused on the table where their notebooks, Lacus's textbook, and their other supplies sat, awaiting their use. An even more awkward silence was laid between them, and both were thinking the same thing: '_What's happening to me?_'

* * *

As Athrun, Yzak and Dearka began walking towards Gym, the tan skinned boy stopped, taking a few moments to glance out a hallway window. Yzak turned, and also stopped when he noticed the blonde. Athrun too stopped, giving a curious gaze towards his violet eyed friend.

"Hey, Dearka, are you all right?" Yzak asked.

"…Uh, yeah…" Dearka replied absently, his eyes trained on the large Sakura tree in the courtyard. Someone had been missing today…someone he'd been hoping to see. The same someone who he'd dropped off in the slums, and had drove away like a coward. Where was the auburn haired girl? Had she gotten sick or something?

"Hey guys…" Dearka began, his voice sounding different. Turning towards his friends, Dearka gave them both a long look before saying, "I'm gonna skip the rest of the day. I mean, we've only got Gym and that other elective left, so I'm just going to go home early." the boy explained, his eyes and expression unreadable.

"All right," Athrun replied back, turning and continuing in the walk to their next class.

Yzak studied Dearka for a moment more before nodding in Dearka's direction, and following Athrun.

Dearka watched them leave, and just as they disappeared around a corner, he looked back out the window. The sun was still shining in the light blue sky. It was a beautiful Monday, but…it seemed to feel empty. And he had a good idea about what, or _who_, was missing from it.

Stepping away from the window, the boy's expression hardened, and he hurried towards the West Entrance of the school. It was the safest exit, seeing as how just walking out the front door would be a pretty stupid idea. He didn't exactly remember what his homework was for that day, but he didn't care. He had his books and whatnot anyway, but it wasn't like he was going to actually do his homework that night anyway, so it really didn't matter.

Walking through the parking lot, Dearka hurried towards his corvette, and fished the keys out of his pants pocket to unlock it. Opening the passenger side door, he tossed his school books and binders on the seat, and slammed the door shut quickly. He then walked over to the other side of the car and got in on the driver's side, closing the door quickly behind him just before he started the ignition.

Pulling out of his parking space, Dearka drove carefully through the parking lot, and as he neared the exit of the school, he sighed in relief that no guard was in the Traffic Station, and was able to drive out off of the school premises without delay. All he had to do now was get himself to Downtown Red Shoals…if he could remember at least.

After about twenty minutes, the blonde boy had finally found the right house. He knew it because he noticed the white curtains in the front windows. None of the other houses had their curtains like that, or either had blinds and window shades. Turning the ignition off, Dearka stepped out of his car, and shut the door, locking the vehicle with the small pad on the key ring. He stared at the house for a few moments, and then slowly walked around the car and up the old driveway. His feet, clad in Kurenai Sakura's uniform shoes, made an odd clicking on the cracked pavement, and he didn't particularly like the sound.

But in moments, he'd reached the front door, and had his hand positioned to ring the door bell, when he noticed they didn't have one. He then looked at the center of the door, prepared to knock, but he didn't. His hand froze just before he knocked on the door. He didn't know why, but he felt a nervous feeling that he didn't recall ever feeling before. And then, he wondered what he was supposed to say when she answered. Or if one of her parents answered. What was he going to do?

"She's not home," a voice from behind him called out.

Turning around quickly, Dearka saw a boy, only a year or two older than him, with shoulder length brown hair standing a few feet away from him. In his arms was an orange furred cat.

"Oh, I see," Dearka mumbled.

The boy gave him a questioning look, before glancing over his shoulder at the corvette parked on the roadside. Turning back to Dearka, his expression was unreadable.

"So you're the guy that drove Milly home on Saturday." he said, his lips turning up in a grin.

"Yeah," Dearka replied back, stepping slowly away from the door, and back down the walkway.

"So, judging by that prissy uniform," the boy began, "I take it you go to that Kurenai Sakuramo school, or whatever it's called, with Milly?"

"Um, yeah, I guess." Dearka replied back, glancing down at the cat the other was holding.

"She's Mir's cat," the boy said, gently stroking the light orange head of the cat and receiving a purring sound. "Anyways, what are you doing here? Cutting class to see Milly?" the boy asked, still grinning,

Dearka widened his eyes and flinched.

"No, that's not it at all…well, maybe a little bit…" the boy mumbled. "She wasn't at school, so I just wanted to make sure she was all right."

"So you cut class? You were that anxious to see her?" the brown haired teen asked, his light blue eyes glinting.

"No, it's not like that!" Dearka cried defensively. "I was cutting class anyway because I just didn't feel like taking a test in one of my last classes. This was on the way, so I just thought I'd stop by." Dearka lied convincingly. Or at least he thought so.

The boy narrowed his eyes at the blonde, and looked him up and down, and then he sighed tiredly.

"You don't seem like Milly's type. I dunno why she'd want to go out with some rich kid like you, you totally seem like one of the guys she was telling me about before. But then again, I'm sure all you rich kids at your fancy little school are all jackasses who talk out of their asses." the boy stated ruthlessly.

"I'm not dating Miriallia! I hate her, and she hates me! I was just worried about her," Dearka shouted out, before being interrupted.

"Whatever, _Lover-boy_. But if you did hate each other, why would you bother coming to see her? Or worry about her?" the boy asked, his grin only increasing. "You say you're not dating, whatever. But if you must know, Milly's fine." the boy explained, rubbing the tabby cat's ear gently.

"Then why wasn't she at school?" Dearka asked, repressing the urge to punch the guy for thinking that he was dating Miriallia.

"She has to take Katie to the Hospital on Mondays. For check-ups and what not. She hasn't told you? I guess not, judging by that confused look on your face." the boy said, interrupting himself. "Anyway, she usually takes the day off school so she can stay at the Hospital with her sister. Katie's condition has been getting worse lately, so Milly might even take a few days off from school soon. The teachers know about it, but they're not allowed to give out that kind of information to the students."

Dearka stared at the brunette incredulously. He remembered Miriallia telling him that her sister wasn't very healthy, but not that she had to go to the Hospital every week. It just begged the question…

"What's wrong with Katie?" Dearka asked, trying to mask the concern and curiosity from his voice and failing.

The boy averted his gaze from Dearka to the cat he held in his arms. It had fallen asleep, but was still purring quietly. He scratched the creature under the chin for a second, before sighing and looking back at Dearka, his grin gone and his gaze hardened with a sad expression.

"She has leukemia. _Acute leukemia_, and it's been getting worse." he mumbled.

Dearka gasped silently, taking a step back.

"Y-you mean, she's got cancer?" he questioned.

"Yeah, and last time she went to the Hospital, they said that it was spreading through her body. But," the boy stopped talking for a moment, and just sighed again. "Miriallia's not doing so well right now, so don't try to put any stress on her. And since she hasn't told you about it, don't let her know you know."

The boy then walked past Dearka and towards the house, setting down the slumbering cat on an old chair swing on the front porch. Dearka watched the spot where the boy had been standing, his mind lost in thought. Miriallia's little sister had cancer…and it was spreading…

'What, how has she been able to hide this from everyone?' the boy thought silently to himself.

"Milly should be back soon, if you want to wait for her." the boy called out to him.

Dearka turned, and watched the taller boy walk towards him. He resisted the need to back up as the brunette came only a few inches away from him. He watched with a curious look as the boy seemed to inspect him again. The boy stepped back after a few moments, seeming to look a little down.

"You're not her type at all, yet she still picked a guy like you," the boy mumbled, seemingly to himself more than to Dearka.

The blonde then watched as the guy turned and walked towards the house beside Miriallia's. The brunette lifted his hand while his back was still to Dearka, as though a sign of farewell. The blonde haired boy narrowed his eyes in thought, and he walked over to his car, leaning against it as he crossed his arms. In his mind, it seemed as though his thoughts were replaying the moments back on Saturday afternoon when he'd asked Miriallia to catch a ride home with him. He couldn't get the image of her, sitting in the passenger seat of his car, golden rays from the setting sun filtering in through the corvette's windows and making the auburn haired girl seem to shimmer.

'_What's happening to me?_' the blonde wondered silently to himself.

* * *

Miriallia sat still, frozen, in the high backed chair in Doctor Monroe's office. The man on the other side of the desk was staring at her solemnly, his eyes looking troubled, as though he wanted to look sad, but years of discipline were holding him back. The silence in the room was suffocating the teenager, making her feel lightheaded and dizzy. The man had not just said what she'd thought…had he?

"Ms. Haww, no, Miriallia…" the man began again, tuning his voice down from a neutral tone to a soft one. His eyes were beginning to look empathetic towards the girl, but he still continued. "Your sister, Katie…her test results proved to show that our greatest concerns about last week's tests have solidified. Her white blood cell count had nearly doubled since last week, and," the man sighed as he took off his glasses and closed his eyes. Rubbing his forehead for a few moments, he looked back up at Miriallia and placed his glasses back on his nose. "The small growth that we found on the left ventricle of your sister's heart six weeks ago has grown, and spread into Katie's aorta. Blood is having difficulty in getting to the aorta and spreading through her body."

"But, you can fix her, can't you? You, you have to be able to do something, right!?" Miriallia begged, standing from the chair and slamming her hands on the doctor's desk. "You can remove the growth, can't you!? You're a doctor! Do something!" Miriallia screamed, tears flowing steadily down her cheeks.

'This can't be happening, there's no way Katie…no…Katie is fine, she's not….she won't…' Miriallia's thoughts raced through her head, banging around inside her brain and then bouncing back.

"She'll be fine…Katie will be fine…" Miriallia stated, staring at the doctor's nameplate that sat on his desk.

"Miriallia…" Dr. Monroe began.

"She'll be fine, won't she!?" Miriallia demanded, wide eyed and terrified.

"Well, there _are_ a few options," the man replied reluctantly.

Miriallia's face brightened immediately at the man's words.

"What kind of options?" she asked, more quietly. Tears dripped from her chin to the desktop, but the man didn't notice. Nor did she.

"Well, there are some medications we could try," the man explained quietly. "But, they're expensive."

"I don't care! I'll find the money for them somehow! As long as Katie gets better, I don't care what I have to do!" the auburn haired girl stated bravely.

"But, Miriallia…the medication may not help…" the man sighed, looking up into the confused girl's face.

"W-what do you mean?" the girl asked, her relief from earlier slipping away.

"The medication won't get rid of the growth, but it will stop it for a small period of time. After that, well…"

"'Well' what!?" the girl demanded.

"We'd need to try surgery, to remove the growth. And, depending on how the medication works…the surgery, at best, wouldn't save your sister, but it would give her a little more time. But, it too is also very expensive, and Katie is very frail and weak as it is. The surgery,"

"We'll just have to see how the medication does. Katie will be fine, the medication will work, and so will the surgery, she'll be just fine." Miriallia stated, her hands and legs shaking.

Dr. Monroe looked like he wanted to say something, but then sighed.

"All right Miriallia," he said quietly, standing from his desk and leading the girl out of the office.

Outside Dr. Monroe's office, Ray sat in a waiting chair, pressing his forehead against his clasped hands. He looked up expectantly when the two exited the office, and furrowed his brow inquisitively towards the two different expressions. Dr. Monroe directed Miriallia towards a hospital room, and she hurried off in that direction, no doubt to pick up Katie. But as the doctor transferred his gaze to Ray, the man gave a very solemn expression to the other. Ray's expression shattered from concerned to despaired as the older man explained to him what he'd just explained to Miriallia.

Both men looked over in the direction Miriallia had gone to see the older walking slowly with her younger sister. Katie smiled warmly up at her sister, but her expression seemed heavy, as though she was carrying something on her mind. Miriallia, on the other hand, looked like she didn't have a care in the world.

Before the two came within earshot of the men's conversation, Dr. Monroe turned to Ray again.

"Mr. Philips, the medication can have very extreme side effects, and could possibly do more harm to Katie than help."

"I understand, Dr. Monroe. But, I have to let her have it. Even though her and Miriallia aren't mine, I love them like they were. And I don't want to lose either of them, you understand, don't you?"

"Yes, Mr. Philips. I'll have a nurse get the prescription ready for you. You can pick it up from the Pharmacy on your way out."

"Thank you, Dr. Monroe," Ray said, his eyes watery. He then turned towards the girls, and said it was time they got going.

As the three left the hospital, the prescription bag held tightly in Miriallia's grasp, Katie gazed up at her sister. In her eyes, sadness and grief swam. But, seeing her sister smiling so brightly, it made her smile as well. She'd try and make sure she smiled, forever, just for Miriallia. Forever, or at least, as long as her forever would last.

The car trip home was quiet, but it seemed to pass fast. Looking out the window, Miriallia watched the golden sky begin to darken some as the sun slowly began to set. The last few rays still lingered, even as Ray turned onto their street. But, as they approached their home, Ray made a surprised sound and slowed the car down a little faster than he needed to. Miriallia and Katie both looked forward to see what had surprised Ray, and both girls widened their eyes. Only, Katie was curious, and Miriallia was horrified as to why there was a red corvette parked in front of their house. A boy with tan skin and thick blonde hair was leaning against the car, and watching as Ray's car pulled up into the driveway.

"Miriallia, that boy, he's wearing the same school uniform as you, do you know him?" Ray asked, turning the ignition off.

"You could say that," the short haired girl replied, opening the car door and slamming it behind her.

Ray and Katie exited the car and cast quick glances towards Miriallia and the blonde boy before they entered the house. But before Katie closed the door, she hurried over towards the chair swing and picked Amber up off of the cushions. After they heard the slam of the house door, Miriallia turned on Dearka.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" she demanded, her eyes steely and her lips pursed.

"I just came to see if you were all right. You were absent from school today, so I just stopped by to make sure you were all right," Dearka explained quietly, looking down at the ground.

"Y-you expect me to believe that!?" Miriallia stammered, thrown off guard by his quiet, sympathetic tone.

"It doesn't matter if you do or don't, it's the truth…" Dearka mumbled. "I was, _worried_, about _you_." he finished, looking up and into confused and angry aqua eyes.

"Bull shit." Miriallia spat, at the same time lifting her hand and slapping him across the face.

Dearka flinched, but otherwise did nothing to stop or block the attack. Instead, he only turned his head back so that his eyes were on Miriallia's again. Miriallia widened her eyes in utter confusion and surprise, her eyes staring into the boy's violet orbs, and the handprint that was reddening on his left cheek. Dearka continued to stare at the girl in front of him. The girl that had to deal with a little sister who was dying, a rundown home, bullies at school, three jobs, medical bills, and now one of the three people she hated in the world standing in front of her.

"Why," she began, but before Miriallia could finish, Dearka reached forward, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, and pulling her against him in a one-sided embrace.

Dearka rested his chin on the girl's shoulder, and closed his eyes to try and relieve the mental turmoil raging in his mind. Miriallia kept stark still, eyes unbelievably wide, and near trembling. But, what confused her the most, was that she wasn't pushing the boy away. She wasn't doing anything to stop him or get him away, but felt something stirring inside her chest.

"Miriallia…" Dearka whispered quietly, the name never sounded so sweet in his mouth. "It's all right…" he added.

For some reason, his words made something inside of her snap, and the auburn haired girl blinked once, causing her watered eyes to shed small tears, and when opened again, more tears followed. For some reason, she lifted her arms, and against what her mind was screaming at her to do, she wrapped her own arms around Dearka's waist, and sobbed once. Then twice. A third time, and she began to fall to her knees. But the boy held her up on her feet. Tightening her hold around the boy's waist, Miriallia's body shook with each sob, each time threatening to collapse, and each time being supported by Dearka's own arms that were around her.

Neither noticed the brunette watching them from the next-door house's front windows.

* * *

_**Earlier that day, like to the end of school

* * *

**_

Kira and Lacus made their way slowly down the hall. In their hands, they held their school bags, and they walked side by side, barely an inch apart. Both were still too shy about looking at each other after the almost-incident in the library, and Lacus still had a little pink in her cheeks, even after their Gym and Home Economics classes.

Every time she'd looked up to say something to Kira, her voice became caught in her throat, and she couldn't get her words across, and so she would look back to the ground. It was almost the same with Kira, only every time he glanced at her, he forgot his words and lost his voice. Then there were the chance glances when one would go to look at the other, but the other was trying to do the same thing, and then both would just gape at each other, blush, and look back down at the ground. It got to the point where Lacus was counting how many steps she made as they walked to the front entrance of the school. Kira just kept staring at the ground.

Once they'd reached the front entrance, just before they walked out the already opened doors, Lacus looked up at Kira, determination in her expression. Kira also glanced down towards her, holding the same determination in his eyes.

"Kira, I,"

"Lacus, I,"

But both shut their mouths and blushed a dark red when they spoke at the same time. Lacus shuffled her feet and looked down at the ground as though it was the most interesting thing she'd ever seen, and Kira shifted his weight from one foot to the other and cleared his throat quietly.

Looking back towards each other, both opened their mouths at the same time to say, "You go first," only to blush again, and repeated what they had just done seconds before. Lacus waited a few moments, staring at Kira's shoes while he started at the red hallway tiles, before she spoke.

"Kira, I um…" she stammered, feeling her cheeks heat up again. "Kira, I wanted to tell you…" the girl began anew, looking up into the soft lavender eyes of her companion with a shy, crystal-clear, baby blue gaze.

"What?" Kira asked softly, feeling a small ache in his chest that didn't hurt, but felt as though something inside of him was waiting for something.

"I wanted to tell you…" Lacus reiterated slowly, trying to avert her gaze, but instead keeping it on Kira. "I wanted to tell you…thank you, for before…" she finally got out, her pale pink lips curling up into a soft, shy smile.

Her smile made the hurt in his chest increase, but he'd felt the small ache and himself become a little disappointed by the girl's words.

"Now, what did you want to say?" she asked, still smiling with an embarrassed look on her face.

Kira felt his heart skip a beat, and the feeling from before, when he couldn't get the words out and when they completely disappeared returned to him, and he couldn't say anything.

"I…I just wanted to tell you," he stammered, looking away from her eyes for a few moments, only to be drawn back to them.

"Tell me what?" she asked, her eyes wide and curious, and her voice sounding a bit as though anticipating something…for him to say something…

"I just wanted to tell you that…I'll always be here for you," the boy choked out, not liking the words he'd forced out and refusing to look at Lacus's eyes once more.

"Oh, I see…" she said slowly, her eyes showing a little bit of what looked like disappointment. "Well, thank you. You know, I'll always be here for you as well." she replied back, the awkward feeling coming back to the both of them.

Kira looked out the doorway, and watched the other students beginning to walk home or to the parking lot. Lacus followed his gaze for a moment, and then looked down at the school bag she was clutching tightly in her hands. It was then that an idea struck her.

A smile flying to her face, she opened her bag and reached down into it before pulling out a black and white cell phone.

"Hey Kira," she asked, her voice steady and hopeful.

"Hm?" the boy asked as he turned his gaze back to the girl.

"How about we exchange cell phone numbers?" Lacus suggested, holding her phone up for him to see.

"Uh, yeah, sure!" Kira replied back with a smile, opening his own bag and pulling out a solid black cell phone.

Both teens flipped them open, pressed a few keys, and then handed the phones to each other so they could enter each other's numbers. After Kira dialed in his cell number, he handed Lacus's phone back to her, and she handed his back as well. They then pressed a few more keys, and then closed their phones.

"I need to get Cagalli, I'll see you tomorrow." Kira said gently as he began walking out the doorway and onto the High School steps.

A sad look crossed Lacus's features, and she made as though to step forward and run towards Kira, but she just clutched her cell phone to her chest.

"See you tomorrow!" she called out, her expression a bit sad, but her voice still sounding cheerful.

Sighing and closing her eyes, Lacus took in a deep breath.

'_Why did I think of that just now?_' she asked herself, referring to the mental image of her running after Kira and embracing him tightly. '_What is happening to me lately?_' she asked herself, her lips set in a soft frown.

But when she glanced down at her phone, she smiled as she flipped it open. Going to her contact list, Lacus looked down at the only number, Kira's number, and smiled warmly at the heart icon she'd placed beside his name. Shaking her head, she told herself she was a fool, and walked down the school steps, not wanting to go home but knowing she had to.

* * *

Cagalli was walking back to her locker, Ahmed beside her. The brown haired boy had graciously offered to carry the blonde's books for her, but she'd declined. The girl was actually still a little out of it, her mind revolving around too many things at a time. She was also a bit worried if there would be another rose on her locker door. If there was, she'd have to deal with an angry Ahmed, and it would be ten times worse if there was another note, and her friend saw it.

But rounding the corner, Cagalli sighed in silence when she noticed there was no flower taped to her locker door. Ahmed went over to his locker on the other side of the hallway, and Cagalli went to her locker to unlock it. But once she got it open, her eyes widened again and she glanced over her shoulder towards Ahmed, seeing he was yelling at his locker's lock. She then quickly grabbed the books she'd need for her homework that night, and she picked up the two roses that were lying on the top shelf of her locker and quickly placed them on top of her textbooks in her school bag, along with the other two she'd gotten earlier that day.

"Hey, Cagalli,"

Turning around, the blonde girl saw her tan skinned friend gazing at her with a curious expression.

"What?" she asked, smiling as they began to walk down the hallway.

"You were zoning out back there, what were you thinking about?" the boy asked, his brown eyes fixed on Cagalli.

"Huh? Oh, I was just wondering if I'd gotten all the books I needed for tonight's homework," the girl lied, chuckling to add dramatic effect. "I guess I must have slipped off the deep end for a few moments."

"Oh, okay." the boy replied back smiling.

The two walked down the Middle School steps and parted ways at the bottom, Ahmed heading off towards the pick-up area for students whose parents drove them to school, and Cagalli heading towards where her brother was waiting for her. As the blonde ran over to her brother and embraced him quickly, she looked past him for a second to see Lacus walking away from the school. The amber eyed girl noticed a saddened look on the girl's face, but thought it was just a trick of the light.

Pulling away from the embrace that her brother returned, Cagalli smiled up at her brother.

"So, how was your day?" she asked.

"It was…interesting," Kira replied, smiling. "How was yours?"

"Interesting…" Cagalli replied back with a chuckle.

As the siblings walked home, Kira kept silent with his arm around his sister's shoulders. He also had a large smile on his lips that Cagalli couldn't find a good reason to explain. But she didn't really care, since Kira was happy, and she was feeling pretty okay as well, considering she'd been getting roses from a possibly creepy secret admirer and had "daydreamed" about a complete jackass during one of her classes. Nothing could have gone wrong.

But as fate would have it, fate really seemed to hate Kira.

Walking up the front path, Kira reached the front door and reached into his pants pocket to pull out his house keys. But when he fit the key in the lock, her realized the door was already unlocked. His expression melting to one of fear, Kira kept his back to his sister as he slowly opened the door.

"Cagalli, go to your room immediately." he stated emotionlessly, stepping into the house.

Cagalli followed him, looking at him curiously.

"But Kira," she began, only to be interrupted.

"Now." Kira demanded in a steely voice.

"All right," Cagalli mumbled, slightly curious as to why Kira's attitude had suddenly changed.

But as she walked through the mansion and towards the hallway that led to the sibling's bedrooms, she passed by the kitchen, and noticed that Muruta was sitting at the kitchen table. Cagalli's eyes widened, and she felt tears sting her eyes. Turning to glance over her shoulder, she watched as Kira slowly slipped his shoes off, and then his uniform blazer, revealing his black, long-sleeved shirt. The girl hurried to her room when her brother looked up, giving her a look close to a glare, but not meant to be mean, just demanding.

After Cagalli closed and locked her bedroom door, she dropped her school bag down on the floor and sank to the carpet, her back pressed against the door. Moments later, she heard a plate smash and shatter, and then a scream. Letting out a sob, the girl brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Another scream, and a loud crash sounded, making the girl sob even harder.

"Kira…" she mumbled into her knees, her eyes shut tightly.

* * *

Lying on her bed with her textbooks spread out around her, Lacus kept looking away from her textbooks to her History Notebook. It was just a constant reminder of what had almost happened between her and Kira in the library, and it also made her blush slightly every time she glanced at it. For some reason, she'd began scribbling on the very side of the page where the paper met the coiled spiral the name of a certain brown haired, lavender eyed boy.

"I think I'm going crazy…" the girl mumbled to herself, turning to look over at her math homework.

* * *

Lying in bed with the covers only pulled up to her waist, Miriallia stared up at the ceiling with clouded eyes. She was tired, and worn out from her crying, but she also felt a happiness inside of her that wouldn't go away. She was pretty sure it was because of Katie's medication that would help her, and make her better, but there also seemed to be another reason. The image of a blonde haired boy dropping the embrace he'd held her in for so long smiling at her, and then walking back to his car wouldn't leave her mind. But…she still hated him…he may have done that for her, but he'd still done horrible things to Kira, so she couldn't forgive him.

"Hey Miriallia, who was that guy from earlier?" Katie asked, breaking the silence.

"No one important." Miriallia answered after a moment's hesitation.

"It was your boyfriend, wasn't it?" Katie asked with a chuckle.

"No way," Miriallia retorted with disgust in her voice.

"But the way you two were embracing each other would make anyone believe you were dating!" Katie defended.

"W-what? You saw that? You little brat, can't I have my privacy?" Miriallia asked, half joking.

"Well, you two were out in the front yard, so there was no privacy."

"Whatever…" Miriallia replied back, smiling.

A long silence passed between them, and Katie was the first to brake it.

"Milly…" Katie began, her voice taking on a serious tone. "Dr. Monroe talked to me today…and told me about the tumor, and the medicine, and the operation."

"…Yes, they'll make you better." Miriallia replied with after taking a moment to swallow a lump growing in her throat.

"But Milly, Dr. Monroe said…" Katie murmured.

"I don't care. I know you'll pull through this, you have up until now, and you'll be just fine." Miriallia stated heavily.

"Milly…It's okay…" Katie said softly. "It's okay, I understand the chances of my survival. I know that even if the operation does succeed, I won't…"

"Stop it…Stop it Katie." Miriallia ordered, her voice shaky.

"I'm sorry, Milly…but, we need to look at this realistically." Katie stated. "I'm going to die before I turn fifteen, I could die within a month,"

"Stop it Katherine!" Miriallia shouted, sitting up in bed and staring at her sister wild-eyed.

Mir then stood from her bed and began walking towards their bathroom. Katie had sat up and watched her walk towards the bathroom, tears slipping down her cheeks, but only concern for her sister on her face.

"Milly…" she mumbled as the older girl shut the bathroom door.

Walking over to the sink, the auburn haired girl opened the side mirror that also served as a medicine cabinet, and looked carefully through the three small shelves till she found what she was looking for: a small plastic case no larger than half of an index card. Grabbing it and opening the case, Miriallia carefully lifted the sharp razor blade from the case. Glancing down at her left wrist, her eyes traced over her scars. There were only seven, and they were all so small…and it had been nearly eight months since the last time she added a new scar to either wrist. But now…she'd have to make two…or three…

Blood dripped slowly down into the sink, trickling down her arm from a single puncture. But, she hadn't caused the wound, her hand had just been holding the blade above her arm. It was when Katie pressed herself against Mir, knocking her slightly off balance, did Mir accidentally cut herself.

"Milly…please, don't do that! Please don't hurt yourself again!" Katie cried into her sister's chest, her hands gripping her sister's shirt tightly.

Miriallia blinked, and her eyes widened in realization. What was she doing? Why was she doing it? What was going on in her head?

"I-it…it hurts…Katie…" Miriallia mumbled, dropping the bloodied razor, and bringing her hand up to stroke her sister's hair.

* * *

Cracking open her door, Cagalli slipped out of her bedroom and stepped quietly down the hallway, and turned towards her brother's bedroom. The door was closed, so she knew that he'd gotten to his room. Walking forward, Cagalli neared the bedroom door, and rested her palm on the doorknob to his bedroom door before opening it, and stepping inside.

"Kira?" the girl asked quietly.

"Hm…" he groaned before hissing in pain.

Cagalli hurried over to her brother, and knelt on the floor beside his bed. Glancing towards the nightstand, she noticed the first-aid kit was open.

"Kira…what did he do to you," Cagalli whispered quietly, her fingers brushing his bangs from his face, revealing a large cut across his cheek. "Oh my God," the girl gasped.

"Cagalli," Kira cracked out, a smile trying to form on his lips.

"No, stop it. Just go back to sleep, I'm sorry for waking you," the girl apologized, her eyes full of grief.

But, just as she was about to stand and walk away, Kira reached out and grasped her hand, saying only one word: "Stay," Looking down at her brother, Cagalli felt tears streak down her cheeks as she watched her brother painstakingly make room for her on his bed. She slid in under the blankets next to him, and laid her head down on the pillow a few inches away from his own with her back to him. Both fell asleep quickly, Cagalli thinking about her brother, and Kira thinking about a girl with long pink hair and light blue eyes.

**Okay, first off, I want to deeply apologize for taking so long to type this chapter. I started it like…forever ago, but I couldn't get past the first Athrun bit, so I just started doing other things, and then I just kinda stopped looking at this for awhile. And I was actually planning to make this chapter longer, but I could only come up with this much. Since I've already gotten 11,689 words done for it, I wanted to give this to all my glorious readers. Please review like you all have been doing, you marvelous, beautiful readers! You really make me happy when I read your comments on my stories. I feel proud of the way this chapter came out though, so if I get more than 15 reviews, I'll be the happiest girl in the world, and if I get a few or just a couple long reviews, I'll do back flips I'll be so happy.**

**And also, to any **For You** readers who also read **Freedom Samurai**, I'll be updating that one next. I just wish I had gotten more reviews for the latest update though…oh well.**

**Bye-Bye! Hope you liked the chapter!**

**Sam**


	12. An Ally?

**For You**

All right! Let's get down to business! I'm going away later today to go to a wedding up in New York, so I better get some serious work done! Now, let's address my reviewers: I love you all. But, I really love those of you who have taken the time to give me good, juicy, critical reviews. They're just as important to me as any other review, each one telling me that someone out there is counting on me to do something (even though they're all strangers all over the world…) World Wide hug!

**Muibadah**, I am deeply honored that you have joined FFN because of me, that just tickled me pink! Oh, and **RabidRacoon**, you have single-handedly just screwed up one character's life really bad now… (Smirks evilly) Thanks so much for the inspirational idea…I'll be playing out and exercising the idea in later chapters though, so you better look forward to it. And **Shiloah18**, my, my, you certainly ask a lot of questions. Some of them are I would put non-literal, as in no answer is needed really, and some you'll found out later on. But, that onee-chan thing...I think I was half asleep typing that up since this story has the tendency to be typed up in the wee hours of the morning...so that's just a typo on my part that I have yet to fix. And yep, you're in one big AU.

Well, as you can probably tell, this'll be another long author's note, and I'm a bit more hyper than usual. But, that's probably because my birthday was on the twenty-second of April, and I'm now a big, whopping 14 years old! Whoo-hoo! for me! **Hiba0907** even sent me a Happy Birthday PM which was so totally sweet and so made my day! And now I'm taking piano lessons which is totally awesome, I've gotten really good grades lately, I've been drawing a lot lately (thinking about drawing scenes from my fan fictions…hint-hint), and I got third place in my school's talent show for best vocal! For singing Nami Tamaki's song Believe! My friends say I could have won first place if the judges could have understood what I was saying, but I was just in it to get my four minutes on stage with a spotlight and an audience.

Anyhoo, that's my news, and now I wanna get to the chapter! I love you guys so much, you're all so awesome!

**Chapter 12 An Ally?**

Her pale fingers pulled her long, pink locks into the braid behind her right ear, her blue eyes staring at her reflection in her vanity mirror. It was still early in the morning and the curtains had been drawn to let sunlight filter through the darkened room. One window was cracked to allow some fresh air flow in to fill up the space between the blue walls, and the room seemed to hold tranquility. It was odd, this morning, because for some reason, when the occupant had woken up, she'd quickly risen from her bed to allow natural light into the room.

Then, she'd quickly gone through her morning routine as she washed her face, brushed her teeth, donned her school uniform, and then sat down in front of her vanity to braid her hair. But the oddest of all the events unfolding throughout the morning was right under the girl's nose. Quite literally, too, since it was about her lips. Her pale pink lips had seemed to have been pulled into a permanent smile from the moment she woke up, to that very second. As she pulled the next section of hair into her braid, she glanced down to her school bag sitting on the vanity, her cell phone sitting on top of it as though on a cushion of satin.

A giggle and a light pink blush accented the girl's face, and she sighed to herself in mockery. When she'd nearly finished her braid, Lacus stared at her reflection for a few more moments, and tilted her head to the side just a bit, staring at her reflection intently. Something was familiar about her braid, but she couldn't exactly put her finger on it. But, pushing the thought from her mind, she stood from her vanity chair, and then grabbing her bag and phone, made her way out of her room.

Her feet, covered by her black stockings, made next to no noise on the carpeted stairs, or on the hardwood floors of the first floor of her mansion. The teen navigated herself to the kitchen, where she was going to grab a piece of fruit as breakfast to eat on her walk to school.

'_I wonder if I might run into Kira again_…' the rose haired maiden thought to herself with a large smile, slipping her school shoes on as she made her way to the kitchen.

But, whatever thoughts had been circulating in the young woman's mind at that moment immediately disappeared the moment she set foot in the kitchen. Her smile disappeared and her eyes widened, her pupils dilating and her breath catching in her throat as it suddenly became hard for her to breathe.

Taking a small step back, Lacus was about to turn and run from the kitchen for fear of who were within. But before she could take another step, a hand seemed to come from much to close and latch on her arm. She cried out softly from surprise and fear, hiccupping slightly as she was spun around into the chest of a very familiar, older boy.

"My, my, Lacus," a deep voice purred. "I haven't seen you for so long, I've really missed the feel of your skin on mine," Ketsuke said, his had reaching up to her cheek to allow his fingertips to trace her skin.

"N-No!" the girl choked out, turning her head away from the other's touch. Her only reward was a chuckle from Ketsuke, and an arm wrapped around her waist tightly as he pressed her up against his body.

"Hm? You seem more reluctant than usual, almost as though you've developed a backbone. How humorous," the young man mused, his fingers twirling stray strands of the girl's hair over her left ear.

"Don't tough me!" Lacus shouted with her eyes wide as she lifted her hand to slap the other across the face. The loud clap of the rough contact echoed through the room, and Ketsuke looked towards the smaller, younger girl with complete shock and surprise on his face. Lacus was breathing heavily her holding her hand close to her chest and shielding it with her other hand. The hand she'd used to strike him was trembling, and her palm stung from the force of her slap, but she felt a small satisfaction within her chest that took away a bit of her fear.

At least, until she felt his hands on her shoulders before a splitting pain in her back coursed through her body. Gasping loudly, Lacus coughed and winced from the pain searing in her back. Ketsuke had just pushed her right into the kitchen counter. Looking up at him with a cold look in her eyes, she saw that he was smirking down at her as though he was three steps ahead of the game. Knitting her eyebrows together, Lacus took in a sharp breath, before glancing over her shoulder to only feel her heart skip a beat. Meer stood just barely three feet away from Lacus, and the look in her eyes wasn't welcoming.

Ketsuke took the moment to push Lacus towards her elder sister, smirking darkly when the older girl caught the smaller. Lacus' eyes widened in terror when she felt her sister's fingernails digging into her skin, and she struggled to get out of her sister's grip. But it was useless, and the girl cried out when Meer roughly grabbed her left wrist and raised it above her head so that the smaller girl was just barely stepping further on her toes than flat on the ground.

The girl's blue gaze met her sister's copper gaze, and only terror and fear spread through her powder blue orbs. The small piece of fear she'd felt earlier came back, bringing more along. Meer's lips curled up in the corners upon seeing her little sister's trembling body.

"You little brat," the girl spat, lifting her hand and bringing it down over Lacus' right cheek. The long haired teen cried out loudly before falling to the kitchen floor. Before she could try to get up, Meer pulled back her leg, and delivered a sound kick to the girl's stomach. Lacus gasped loudly, her eyes widened and her lips parted as she gagged, as though about to throw up. Meer glared down at her sister, and watched in morbid amusement as she began to pull her knees up to her chest, and her hand drifted to her stomach. Her breathing sounded raspy and pained, and she shook slightly every few seconds.

Deciding it wasn't enough, Meer kicked her once more, causing the girl to throw her head back and scream out from pain. Ketsuke chuckled as he and Meer observed the smaller of the three as she brought her legs up to her ribs and hid her hands over her stomach and behind her legs. Coming down to her knees, Meer reached forward and grabbed a fistful of Lacus' hair, even pulling a few strands from her braid as she pulled her up to a sitting position.

"You need to show respect to your superiors, got it?" the dark haired girl asked, her lips curling into a sadistic smile.

Lacus chose to remain silent, glaring into her sister's eyes as her hands clutched at Meer's wrist, hoping she wouldn't pull any harder than she already was.

Tilting her head to the side, Meer leered at her younger sister, before letting go of her hair and pushing her down again as well. "You're worthless," Meer hissed out, standing and looking towards Ketsuke. "Ready to go?" she asked in a sweet voice, forgetting she'd just assaulted her sister.

"Yeah," the young man replied back, walking past Lacus and towards Meer. The two then left the kitchen, going to the front door where they stepped out of the building, and closed the doors loudly behind them.

Lacus sat up slowly, glaring down at the kitchen tiles, and lifted a hand to rub her mouth. She winced when she felt a sharp pain in her cheek, finding it stung harshly. A burning sensation was slowly settling on her skin where Meer had slapped her, but it passed, or at least she became numb and couldn't feel it. Standing up, the girl slowly walked out of the kitchen and into the hall where she stopped before the door. She picked her school bag up from where she'd dropped it at the door, and checked inside to make sure she had everything inside.

But, when her eyes fell upon her cell phone, she felt her hostility and anger leave her, and only a warm feeling filled her stomach. _**"If you ever need me…" **_He'd said that. Just knowing that someone had reached their hand out to her, Lacus had to sigh, letting her emotions from before fall away. Could you need someone, even when you weren't in trouble? It was the question on her mind when she left her home, and locked the door behind her before starting on her way to school.

* * *

"Katie, are you sure you want to come to school today? You don't have to, really," Miriallia repeated to her sister for what seemed the millionth time. The older girl was walking closer to her sister than usual, and she seemed to be paying more attention to the fourteen year old than she was as to where she was going. Katie had had to tug on her sister's blazer at least twice to keep her from taking a wrong turn or stepping onto the street too early.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Besides, I don't like to miss school," the girl replied, smiling nervously. The truth was, Katie had taken her medication that morning and they'd nearly made her sick. Miriallia had even been worried enough to want to call Dr. Monroe to see if it wasn't a normal side effect.

Looking down at her sister with concerned eyes, Miriallia sighed, and looked down to the ground. Her hand drifted over towards her sleeve, and her fingers gently rubbed the spot she'd accidentally cut last night. It stung, but the nuisance took her mind away from its current worry to focus on the pain in her arm. Soon enough, heat began to pool within her arm, and she took her hand away. The bandages were starting to itch.

* * *

It had been one thing to keep Cagalli calm last night when she'd seen the cut across his cheek, but walking into the school was a nightmare. Though he didn't find it any big deal since it really didn't hurt all that much, the large bandage he'd had to put over it was drawing much to many stares than he'd have wanted. Students who often saw him with black eyes or bruises would stop their conversations when he walked past, only to glance over their shoulders and turn back to their friends and whisper about the bandage.

It was strange to Kira because the student body never truly seemed to care about what happened to him. This was always proven obvious when he was stuck in one of the frequent fights Athrun Zala and his friends usually pulled on him, and then there were also isolated incidents. Such as his science project having been destroyed before the fair, and when someone had destroyed one of his Home Economics projects when the teacher was gone.

But now that he could actually hear them whispering when he came by, and catching his name in the conversations, a strange heaviness was growing in the pit of his stomach. He thought he even heard Lacus' name mentioned, but that only made a furious curiousness burn within him. The thought of any of them talking about Lacus infuriated him, and gave him a sense of protectiveness possibly even stronger than the one he held for his sister, and he'd barely known the girl for a week.

Without even realizing it, Kira had slammed his locker shut very loudly, and it was only the silence having washed all around him that made him aware of the fact. Looking around, he saw everyone staring at him, and he turned back to his locker, only for his eyes to widen. A wide dent was left in the center of the locker, barely visible, but definitely a dent. Slowly removing his hand, he let it fall back to his side, and didn't realize that the noise had started up around him again. At least, until it became quiet once more.

"Kira," he heard a familiar, quiet voice call from behind him, footsteps coming closer to him.

Turning around slowly, the brunette's eyes softened and a smile lit his face. Lacus was walking towards him, a bright and eager smile on her face. But, the girl froze for a moment, seeing the bandage on Kira's cheek. Her crystal eyes widened, and a look of concern flushed through her face. "What happened?" she demanded worriedly, rushing forward towards him and nearly bumping into his chest. Her hand flew up to his face, and ghosted over the bandage, barely touching it.

Kira averted his eyes for a moment, before glancing back towards the girl's concerned face and gasping silently. "What happened to you? Your cheek is bright red and looks like its swelling," he said, lifting a hand but pulling it back down. He didn't want to upset her by touching her, or hurt her if her cheek stung. It looked like it hurt, or had hurt when she got it.

"It's nothing," she replied, her voice sounding distracted as she continued to stare at Kira's bandage.

"We should get to class," Kira stated after a moment, shuffling his feet and stepping back a bit. It was almost as though he was growing uncomfortable with Lacus so close to him.

"Yeah…" the girl replied back slowly, pulling her hand back.

It was after the two blinked when they realized that everyone in the hallway was staring at them. Looking around, Lacus raised an eyebrow, and felt her anger from before welling in her stomach. Stomping her foot, the light haired girl shouted, "What are you all staring at!?" But as soon as the words had left her lips, the students all looked as though they'd been zapped with an electric spark, and all looked away. Kira stepped up behind Lacus and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Someone seems to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, hm?" Kira asked jokingly as they walked down the hall. The girl only blushed and mumbled back quietly something Kira couldn't hear.

When the two reached Ms. Ramius' room, Kira ducked his head slightly, his long bangs nearly completely covering his bandage. It would have to make due, at least, until Ms. Ramius found it and decided to make a fuss over it. As he took his seat, Kira glanced over towards Lacus' desk, to see she was leaning over it and clutching the chair tightly with one hand. Her back was to him, but he could tell she was in pain.

"Lacus?" he began, but stopped when she glanced over her shoulder to smile at him.

"I-I'm fine, my stomach's just sore is all," she explained briefly, hurrying to sit in her desk. But Kira wasn't satisfied with that, and continued to stare at her with a worried expression. Though there was a small smile on her lips, her left hand was still clutching at her stomach in an almost unnoticeable way, and her right hand was nearly being flattened against the desktop. Kira knew she had to be hiding a really painful sensation because he'd done the same thing many times.

'_Lacus_…' he thought to himself quietly, not looking up when Ms. Ramius entered the room, telling everyone to take their seats.

* * *

Sitting at her desk with a thoughtful expression on her face, Cagalli poked at the rose on her desk once more. This morning, when she'd gone to her locker, she'd found another rose in her locker. Only this time, it was a pink rose. A small white ribbon had been tied around the stem as well.

But, before she'd been able to hide it, Stellar had looked over her shoulder to see the flower, and began giggling. It had taken the whole walk to class to convince her not to tell Shinn or Ahmed, along with a threat or two, but the other blonde girl had promised not to say a word.

What had surprised Cagalli in a happy sort of way though was when she entered the classroom to find that Katie was in class. She and Stellar had hurried over to the girl and asked why she was gone the previous day, but all they got was that she hadn't been feeling well. It was easy to see that Katie didn't look all that well, and she seemed tired.

Cagalli sat down next to her and Stellar on her other side as the fuchsia-eyed girl related the story about the roses to the long haired girl. Cagalli groaned or sighed a few times during the explanation, smiling just slightly at Stellar's emphasis on "Secret Admirer" tone of voice.

Katie laughed quietly at the end, and turned to Cagalli with a brighter expression than before. "You're really lucky, Cagalli," the girl stated with a grin.

"Why do you say that? It's just an annoyance if you ask me," the amber eyed girl stated airily.

"Well, at least someone is going out of their way to give you something to show how much they like you. You're lucky that someone likes you enough to get you flowers, especially roses, and yet they still stay completely anonymous." Katie explained, her voice a bit saddened.

"I guess you're right," Cagalli mumbled, averting her gaze back to the flower. "Speaking of admirers, though," Cagalli began with a smirk on her lips. "How's it with you Stellar?" the blonde asked curiously with a seemingly innocent tone.

Katie turned to Stellar with a truly innocent curiosity and wide eyes. "Do you have admirers, Stellar?"

"Um, well, sort of…I guess you could call them that…" the blonde mumbled with small pauses in-between.

"Really? Who?" Katie asked. Cagalli continued to grin like a cat.

"Well, you know that group of ninth graders that hang out with Auel and Sting? Well, they've been staring at me lately when I walk by, or just annoying me with catcalls," the blonde explained with evident distaste on her face.

"I'm sure if it was Shinn you wouldn't mind, huh?" Katie asked with a smile.

Cagalli chuckled as a bright red blush covered Stellar's face. The embarrassed girl could do nothing to hide her reaction, which only added to the truth of Katie's question, so she remained quiet. Not silent, but quiet nonetheless. The girl leaned over her desk, glaring at her two friends. "If either of you tells Shinn, or anyone else for that matter, I'll kill you," Stellar threatened, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Whatever," Cagalli said, dismissing the threat with a simple wave of her hand. The small action brought a laugh out of Katie, but only an exasperated glare and sigh from Stellar.

* * *

The bell rang loudly, signaling the end of class, and Kira and Lacus stood quickly from their seats to wait at the door for Miriallia. Kira had been able to dodge Ms. Ramius in first period, and he and Lacus had gone to meet up with Miriallia for math. After having finished their class, they were going to head to lunch where Kira and Lacus were eager to ask Miriallia why she'd been absent the other day.

They were on their way to the cafeteria, when Kira stopped, staring ahead impassively towards a certain blue haired student.

"So, Azrael, did you really think you could sneak away from me that easily?" the young man asked, his green eyes narrowed. Yzak stood just behind him, his own icy eyes like Athrun's. The only difference in the equation was that the blonde teen seemed to have a troubled look on his face, as though he didn't know what to do. This went unnoticed by the other two, until Athrun took a step forward towards Kira, and Yzak stepped a bit to the side since Miriallia had proved herself someone to be reckoned with.

But still, Dearka stayed rooted to the ground, unmoving from his spot. His violet eyes held a surge of conflict within them, and he cast a quick glance towards Miriallia, who was busy standing directly beside Kira and glaring bloody murder in the advancing males' directions. Kira gently pushed Lacus away from he and Miriallia, not wanting her to get hurt.

"Miriallia, you should step back too," he warned, glancing towards the girl.

"I've still got a score to settle with these guys, no way am I backing down without one of their heads on a silver platter," the girl threatened menacingly.

Just when Athrun was barely an arm's length away from Kira, Miriallia began to step forward, only to run into Yzak who promptly grabbed her arm and spun her around to pin it behind her back. The silver haired young man smirked, and squeezed her arm tighter than he really had to, getting a growl from the girl.

As soon as Miriallia was detained, Athrun reached forward and grabbed the collar of Kira's blazer to pull him forward, and pulled back his fist before aiming straight for Kira's bandaged cheek. Just as Kira was about to try and evade the punch, everyone in the hallway, including the students who'd stopped to watch the fight unfold, heard a voice call out, "Stop it!"

Athrun froze, his eyes wide. Yzak had very much the same reaction, and both boys glanced over their shoulders to see Dearka breathing heavily, a determined look in his eyes.

"Dearka?" both asked in surprise, not having ever expected Dearka to tell them to stop.

"I said stop it, not let her go Yzak," Dearka ordered, glaring intensely towards his friend.

"Dearka, what in the world had gotten into you?" Yzak began, his tone that of an incredulous nature. "Yesterday, you skip the last few hours of school to check on this bitch, and now you're defending her? What the hell's going on with you?"

"Dearka, we'll need to talk about this later," Athrun stated in a cold, icy tone. Nearly everyone in the hallway seemed to shiver at the mere sound of his voice's tone. The blue haired boy then turned to Kira, ready to deliver the punch he believed he deserved, when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back. "What the hell," was all he managed to get out before a fist locked with his cheek, sending him into Yzak, who released Miriallia before he fell to the hallway tiles. Athrun stumbled a bit, but remained on his feet.

"What the hell Dearka!?" Athrun demanded, nursing his cheek with one hand.

Miriallia, Kira, and everyone else were all staring towards the tan skinned boy with shock in their eyes, never once expecting him to turn on his two best friends. Miriallia was staring directly into the young man's violet eyes from behind Athrun, and he staring into her own widened eyes. Athrun didn't notice Dearka's attention wasn't focused on him, and growled.

"Dearka, what the fuck do you think you're doing? What did you just do?" the dark haired boy demanded, his voice deep and furious.

"I just punched a good-for-nothing bully in the jaw, and stopped him and his friend from hurting two innocent students." the boy replied smoothly.

Miriallia gasped silently, recognizing the look of determination on Dearka's face as the same look he'd had just yesterday afternoon. It then registered in her mind all that he'd just done, and what he'd just said. Her gaze didn't falter from his, but she wanted to pull away. She wanted to pull her gaze away and never look back at the boy who had just stood up for Kira. A boy who just yesterday could have beaten him for all she knew since she'd been absent. It may have even been his fault that Kira had a bandage on his cheek.

But, though he was doing a good thing now, she reminded herself it didn't compensate for what he'd done to Kira before. The pain he and his friends had put Kira through, the worries they must have given to Cagalli, and just recently, the harassment Athrun, Dearka's close friend, was putting on Cagalli. No, nothing Dearka would do right now could ever grant him forgiveness for all that he'd done.

"Dearka, you better explain what's just happened now to us later," Athrun ordered, breathing heavily as though resisting punching the other boy in the face. "After you've had time to cool off," the raven-haired young man added, turning and walking away with Yzak right behind him.

It seemed as though after Athrun and Yzak left, the crowd having formed in the hallway began to disperse quickly, students hurrying to lunch. Well, all except Kira, Mir, Lacus, and Dearka, of course.

Dearka looked over towards Kira, and began to walk towards him slowly. Violet eyes met amethyst, and Dearka lowered his gaze from the cold look he was receiving from Kira. Not to mention the burnings on the sides of his head from Lacus and Miriallia's glares.

Taking in a deep breath, Dearka sighed heavily before bowing respectfully before Kira. "Azrael-san, I wish to apologize," Dearka began, keeping his eyes trained on the floor. He could see their shoes, Kira's the same as his except a bit cleaner, and there wasn't a long scuff mark along the upper bottom of the shoe.

"You know he can't accept any apology coming from the likes of _you_," Miriallia spat, her tone so piercing and venomous, it was almost as though she was overdoing it to the point to where she was trying to hide something.

"I'm aware of that. I am not apologizing with the idea that I will be given forgiveness now, or ever, but I must know that I admitted to my wrongs," the blonde explained. "Especially to those I have wronged."

A small moment of silence passed between the four, until Kira broke it. "All right then, forgiveness granted,"

Dearka rose quickly, surprise written all over his face. "W-What do you mean? No conditions? No strings?"

"I accept your apologies, and give you my forgiveness." Kira repeated, his voice steady and expression calm.

"Kira!?" Miriallia called in surprise.

"I won't be to my enemy as they are to my, and I will be honest in the way that I gives others my answers. If he truly is stepped down from his pedestal, I should at least give him what he came for." Kira reasoned.

Mir frowned, but when she looked back over towards Dearka, what she saw melted one of the many walls of ice that had frozen over her heart. Dearka's bronze lips were pulled into a relieved expression that gave him an innocent, playful look to him. It was…attractive, '_for lack of a better word, of course_,' she reminded herself silently.

"Thank you, Azrael-san," Dearka stated, bowing his head in farewell. "And Miriallia, I hope to gain your forgiveness, eventually, as well. Along with you, Ms. Clyne," Dearka stated, before turning to walk away.

Miriallia said nothing to the boy, even after he'd disappeared behind a hallway corner. Instead, she turned to Kira and Lacus, "Hey, I've gotta run to the cafeteria to get some lunch, I forgot to pack my own this morning. I'll meet you guys outside, all right?" Miriallia asked quickly before hurrying off.

When she'd left, Kira had gone to take a step forward when Lacus got in his way. He gave her a quizzical look, and bit his lip when she leaned in closely. It took barely a moment for him to realize she was staring at his bandage again, and he sighed.

"Do you need to see it?" he asked.

"Please, Kira," she replied with a concerned look on her face.

The boy sighed, but lifted his hand anyway to his cheek before he peeled the bandage away, revealing the cut beneath the gauze. Lacus winced upon seeing the wound, and she sighed his name quietly. Lifting her hand to his cheek, her fingertips just barely grazed over the top of the cut. Kira flinched, but his eyes widened in only moments.

Lacus had suddenly gasped out loud a painful cry before nearly falling to her knees, but luckily only falling in Kira's arms since he'd leaned forward to catch her. The girl trembled and shook in his arms, gasping and growling out from pain as her hands desperately clutched at her stomach. Kira called out loudly for help, hoping a teacher was nearby. After only three calls, a twelfth grade teacher passed around the corner quickly, and hurried over to them.

Just before Lacus felt her head grow extremely heavy and dizzy as darkness overcame her, she saw Kira's bright amethyst eyes in a worried, concerned expression, and it made her feel terrible in her chest for causing his worry.

**Hey everyone, I'm really sorry this chapter is no good! But it's already 2:31am and I'm really tired and I'll be gone all weekend, so I just thought I'd post what I had if I got to a good stopping point, which I think I did…but yeah, it's short, and it's not very good, but I'm tired and it's late. All I ask is for maybe 15 reviews at least please since you're all really awesome about leaving lots of reviews, and I'll get to work on chapter 13 ASAP. Please, bear with a tired, over stressed teenage girl.**

**Yours,**

**Sam**


	13. Closer

**For You**

Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update, I'll try not to take too much time, but considering my usual update waits…this isn't THAT bad…But either way, I still took a long time, and need to get my head out of the clouds! And into the place that makes me happy, the WRITING ZONE…Heh, I love writing these fan fictions, so much fun…And now, let's make this a record short Author's Note, and get to the chapter!

**Chapter 13 Closer**

Kira watched the sleeping girl with worried, concerned eyes. He knew she hadn't been feeling well that morning, he could tell from their classes. She'd constantly been clutching her stomach, and she didn't seem able to focus, as though she had a headache on top of the pain she had to be feeling from her stomach. His hands clutched one of hers in a gentle, yet tight grip. He hadn't moved from the position by her side since he'd carried her into Ms. Gladys's office nearly an hour ago.

Ms. Gladys had checked over her under Kira's watchful eye, checking her torso area only and not even glancing towards her wrists. After she'd spent a few moments taking notes, all of which Kira was careful to watch her write without her knowing of his gaze, the Nurse told him, Lacus' concerned friend, what was wrong. "It seems to be bruising to her lower torso area, some mild bruising on her back that could be close to a fracture, and what I would guess would just be a stress overload that made her pass out, aided by the pain she was feeling from the bruising. You did say she just seemed to be hurting in her stomach and her head this morning, correct?" Talia had questioned with a becalming smile. The woman was a bit cautious about one topic, and wanted to see if Kira knew anything about it. She was quite fond of the boy, having had the honor to see him quite a few many times just this year, and even in his Middle School years when she'd worked in that area. She'd taken the position of the High School Nurse just a few weeks after classes had started after the summer months. She knew Kira quite well, and was saddened and worried to see the bandage on his cheek.

"Yes," Kira had answered, his gaze unfaltering as he stared into the pale girl's sleeping face. But a look of worry and concern swept over his features, and he glanced over towards the woman, "Do you know any possible causes of the bruising?" he asked quietly. The lavender eyed boy was truly worried, and was hoping wildly in his heart that Lacus wasn't in a similar situation as himself. He didn't know how he'd be able to control himself if he knew Lacus was getting hurt, he'd hate for anyone else to be feeling like he did at home, especially her.

"No, I'm sorry. The bruising is too vague to really be able to tell, Kira-chan," Talia replied, using her favorite nickname for the boy. "But I'm worried about her back, she really shouldn't be carrying her heavy books everywhere as I'm sure you students do," the blonde woman began, smiling at Kira with a warm grin.

Kira smiled softly back at her and nodded, "All right, I'll be the gentleman and carry her books. It'll be no trouble, Ms. Gladys," the brown haired boy answered. Talia nodded, and was about to ask Kira about his cheek, when the Main Office Secretary rushed into the room, telling Talia she had a phone call waiting. Excusing herself from the Clinic, the woman left Kira and Lacus alone.

And that was how it had started in the Nurse's Office, and Kira was now staring a bit more calmly into Lacus' face. She looked so peaceful and innocent when she was asleep, but then again, nearly anyone could look peaceful when they were sleeping. But there was something about Lacus that just couldn't be overlooked. There was something about her that you just couldn't group with anyone else, something that set her apart from everyone else. And Kira was curious as to what it was, even though he thought he had it on the tip of his tongue, but just couldn't place it.

Smiling gently, he lifted one hand from hers, to slowly reach over and brush a few strands of hair away from her eyes. She made a small sound, and shifted a bit on the Clinic bed, but otherwise remained fast asleep. The boy sighed quietly, his gaze brushing over her face, and sliding over her lips. Parted just so slightly, he watched for a few moments as her small, quiet breaths blew a few strands of hair around her mouth, and then he glanced back towards her closed eyes. He could picture her sleepy gaze when she awoke, her crystal blue eyes hazed over from sleep and a confused expression on her face as she looked around the Clinic.

The boy gently traced her cheek with his fingertips, and pulled his hand back slightly. His eyes drifted to her hair, which now lay in a messy braid, already many of the strands having separated and broken free from the ribbon that had tied them all together. Seeing the braid, he was reminded of when Cagalli had been twelve, and had allowed her hair to grow out just a bit, and enough so that it could still be styled. Not that she ever wanted to style it; it was more of wanting to have her brother sit with her for long periods of peaceful silence as he practiced braiding her hair. He hadn't known how to braid till he was fourteen, and practiced on his sister's hair.

But then, on her thirteenth birthday, she'd surprised him that morning when he walked in on her accidentally in the bathroom to see her standing in front of the mirror, holding the scissors tightly in her hand. Her other hand held a fist full of her hair, and she was glaring at her image in the mirror. He'd said something, and she'd turned slightly to look at him, just as the blades of the scissors cut down. Kira had to spend a few minutes helping even out her hair after she mutilated about five inches, and he'd cut it just a bit shorter till it barely graced her shoulders.

The boy smiled from the memory, and his hand gently brushed her hair, feeling the softness of it, much like a rope of silk. Glancing towards her sleeping face, he guessed she'd be out for another good half hour at least, and he untied the ribbon she'd used to tie her braid, and set it down on his knee. He then gently went up the braid, unbraiding each section carefully, as to avoid any sort of knot or tangle, which she didn't seem to have at all.

Luckily for him, the girl was lying on her side, almost far enough to be considered her belly, and he had easy access to her hair. He knew it might be a bit of an awkward situation to explain why he was braiding her hair over again, but he just hoped she stayed asleep long enough for him to get it over with. He didn't know how he knew, but he guessed that the gently, ginger touches he was giving her and her hair were somehow comforting her.

Soon enough, he'd gotten her hair out of the braid and down in a long stream of pastel rose. A few light bumps of waves were noticed in a few areas of her locks, but otherwise it was still perfectly straight. Dividing her hair into three sections, he set about braiding it, being careful not to pull her hair, but still weaving the sections together tight enough so that they wouldn't become loose again.

The quiet boy was working so intently, that he didn't even falter, nor notice, when the girl's eyes slowly opened halfway. Just as he'd predicted, the girl was tired, and as she slipped out of her previous unconscious state, she was filled with curiosity of where she could be, and how she'd gotten there from the hallway, and not to mention the question of '_Where's Kira?_' when she noticed the gentle pull of her hair as it was braided. Lacus' eyes widened a bit, fully awake, and her breathing faltered slightly as she realized what was going on, and the strange fluttering in her stomach when she had the sudden feeling that it was Kira touching her hair.

A blush rising to her cheeks, Lacus tried to remain as though she was still sleeping, even though she was now wide awake and her mind was going a mile a minute. '_He…he's braiding my hair…'_ she thought to herself in nervous embarrassment for some reason she didn't know. But the feelings and butterfly wings that beat in her stomach were just like the moment in the library, when Kira gave her his cell phone number and when she'd been staring at the notebook she'd scribbled his name into continuously.

It only took a moment for Lacus to realize that she liked the feeling, and really liked the idea of Kira being so close to her, and even touching her, even if it was just her hair. Without realizing it, and without meaning to, her body moved in a way it wouldn't when asleep, and she could sense Kira's embarrassment as he realized she was awake. But, the girl didn't turn around, only continued to stare at the wall with the bright blush on her face.

"Uh…Lacus, I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean…I don't mean to…" Kira stuttered, his voice quick and trembling, and Lacus smiled softly, picturing the nervous smile on his lips.

"Please, you don't have to stop, it's all right," she whispered quietly, doubting he'd be able to hear. But the girl felt her fingertips tingle when she felt him begin to braid again. Neither knew that the other was blushing madly, and neither of the two knew that there were flocks of hummingbirds buzzing in their stomachs and chests. Kira chose not to respond, being doubtful he'd be able to find his voice, then alone speak without stuttering.

* * *

Miriallia watched the clock with a worried gaze, and tapped her pencil impatiently on her notebook as the teacher continued on with the lesson. Usually, Miriallia enjoyed science, since it seemed to be the only subject she was really good at, but today, she just couldn't focus in class. Kira and Lacus hadn't gone to meet her, and after the first ten minutes of waiting by their tree—yes, _their_ tree. After all, it wasn't like anyone else used it—she'd gone back into the building, and as she passed through the cafeteria, she overhead some twelfth grader girls talking about the girl who'd fainted in the hallway, and the Azrael boy carrying her to the Nurse's Clinic.

The auburn haired girl had then nearly sprinted to the Clinic, only to bump right into Ms. Gladys. After apologizing, she'd hurriedly asked the woman about her friends, only to receive a warm smile from the woman, and a report of Lacus' condition. "_She'll be fine_," were Talia's exact words, but it didn't stop Mir from worrying the whole time the two were in the Clinic.

The girl was so far off in her own thoughts, that she didn't hear the teacher call her name till she felt someone gently tap her back. Miriallia snapped out of her worries to look forward towards the teacher with wide eyes, sitting up in an erect position. "Y-yes, Badgiruel-sensei?" she stumbled out.

The dark haired woman sighed, and repeated herself to the girl, "I asked you to answer the question, now please answer it and don't make me repeat myself again," the woman declared slowly, her eyes narrowing. Miriallia swallowed, and felt her heart skip a beat.

'_I don't remember her question, I wasn't even paying attention! If I don't answer, she'll give me detention definitely, and she might even want to take my scholarship away…What am I going to do!?_' the girl thought rapidly to herself in only half a second. Just as she parted her lips to apologize to the woman, Miriallia felt another tap near her shoulder.

"_Recite three tenets of the Cell Theory_," a voice from behind her whispered quietly so that only she could hear. Miriallia sighed quickly, and took in another breath before speaking, not even needing to take a moment to think,

"All cells contain hereditary information which is passed down from cell to cell during cell division, all cells come from pre-existing cells by division, and cells are basically the same in chemical composition." Miriallia answered calmly, having been able to easily list off those three, and felt relief flutter in her chest when Ms. Badgiruel nodded with a small smile. The girl leaned back in her seat and allowed herself to sink a little into a more relaxed position as her heartbeat evened out again. When the teacher turned back to sketch out a standard Eukaryotic Cell on the black board, Miriallia glanced over her shoulder, with a friendly grin on her lips. "Hey, thanks," but her words of gratitude were cut short quickly when she saw who sat behind her.

Staring at her warily, Dearka gave her a neutral look, his eyes meeting her gaze slowly, as though unsure of whether or not he could. His chin was sitting atop his hands, which were clasped slightly and propped up by his elbows on his desk. His blonde hair fell over his forehead slightly in an untamed curl, and it clashed pleasantly with his bronze skin. Miriallia didn't bother eyeing him, and merely pursed her lips tightly, glared, and turned around in her chair. She didn't make any signs that she would acknowledge him, and he didn't try to communicate with him either.

But her thoughts began to wander again as her eyes drifted back to the clock, and she started once again feeling the tapping on her shoulder. But this time when she looked back towards her teacher, she waited for Dearka's whisper of the question, and answered it calmly. This time, she didn't even turn around, and she didn't feel him tap her shoulder again through the rest of class. When the bell rang, Miriallia shouldered her school bag after placing her books inside, and headed for the door, only to be stopped when a hand gripped her elbow.

Turning around quickly, the girl glared at the boy, and ripped her arm away from him. Dearka stood, bringing his hand back to his side slowly as though he'd been wounded. Sighing, he glanced back to where they'd sat, and gestured towards two desks near Miriallia's that were usually occupied. Before he could ask, Miriallia turned away and as she walked out of the classroom, she answered, "Kira had to take Lacus to the Clinic," before disappearing in the crowd while on her way to her next class. Dearka followed her out of the classroom, but turned in the opposite direction in the hallway to head to his own class. A misplaced look of sadness seemed to tug at his lips and eyes, but no one seemed to notice, or try to ask him about it.

In fact, it seemed that after Dearka's outburst that morning, and his near betrayal to Athrun, no one would look at him. But the blonde didn't seem to mind at all, and he simply went on his way, shouldering his school bag. But as he was walking through the halls in a particularly crowded area, a small group of boys was walking in the opposite direction as him, and Dearka merely glanced at them because of their loud behavior to look away with a quiet grunt. '_Football players…_' he mumbled to himself quietly.

But as they passed each other, Dearka felt a budge in his shoulder that tipped him off balance, and he fell to the floor tiles. The contents of his bag scattered across the floor, and many were kicked or stepped on, and not unnoticed by those doing so. Dearka's eyes widened slightly as he watched, and he glanced over his shoulder to see the football players leering and smirking towards him as they disappeared into the crowd.

The blonde boy didn't say anything though, as a resigned look fell over his face, and he simply tried to get his things from the hallway floor before more people could step on them. He was thankful when an eleventh grade girl stopped and handed him his History notebook, and he nodded to her with a smile. She smiled back, and went on to her class. Once he'd gotten his things, Dearka stood to go to his class. He still didn't say anything when someone roughly bumped into his shoulder just before he neared the classroom.

* * *

When Kira finished, he simply retied the ribbon Lacus had used to tie her hair prior, and quickly removed his hands from her hair to set them on his knees. His knuckles turned white from the force he was using to clutch his knees, and his eyes were trained on his hands which trembled just ever so slightly. Lacus was thankful she was lying on her side, and was facing the wall…Mainly because Kira was not able to see her blush.

Holding her hands close to her chest, Lacus bit her lower lip gently, and lifted one hand to her face. She wasn't sure why, but her heart was beating fast and her hands seemed to be really warm and clammy. Shifting a bit on the Clinic bed, she tried to keep herself from turning to look over at Kira. The silence in the room was deafening, and it didn't help that both could hear each and every breath the other made, or, was it only her imagination, but it seemed she could hear hers and his hearts beating loudly like a drum.

"Kira,"

"Lacus,"

The two immediately quieted, blushing even more brightly from their words having spoken at the same time yet again. Though this time, neither tried to tell the other to continue before them. Silence passed between them uncomfortably, and was only broken by their breathing which only added to the tension in the room. Taking in a deep breath, Lacus exhaled slowly and turned over, so that she was facing Kira. She knew there still had to be some sort of remnant of her blush on her face, but she didn't care anymore. But, before she could say anything, her eyes widened slightly, and she felt her heart pound against her ribs. Kira's face was a mellow red, and his gaze seemed to be especially shy at the moment.

'_So cute…_' the girl found herself whispering silently.

But before either of them could say anything, the Clinic door opened and Ms. Gladys stepped in. A smile was on her face, which widened into a grin when she noticed Lacus was awake. "Oh, Clyne-san, I'm glad to see you're awake! I was just coming in to check up on you two," the blonde woman admitted. "Oh, but Clyne-san, your face looks a bit red, are you all right? Maybe I should take your temperature…" Talia said, a look of motherly concern crossing her face.

"N-No, that's all right! I'm fine now, really," Lacus exclaimed, sitting up quickly only to groan slightly. Kira widened his eyes and placed a hand on Lacus' shoulder. He asked if she was all right, and where it hurt. When Lacus turned her head to match gazes with him, she noticed that the shy look, along with the blush, were gone. She was almost disappointed, but hid it quite well before answering Kira, "My back," she mumbled.

"Oh, that's right," Kira replied, turning to look towards Talia. "You said that she'd hurt her back, right Gladys-san?" Kira more stated than asked. Talia nodded, watching with an observant eye as Kira helped Lacus to her feet up off the bed. A sly smile tugged at the corners of her lips when Kira offered to carry Lacus' bag for her.

"Kira, I don't want you to have to help me," Lacus argued softly, her eyes a bit worried. But looking into Kira's calm expression, and her crystal eyes finding his lavender orbs, she couldn't help but feel as though he was telling her that he didn't mind at all. The two then turned to the Nurse, and Kira bowed slightly in respect before announcing their leave.

"All right then, here are your passes to class then," Talia stated cheerfully, handing both students blue slips of paper. Kira nodded to Talia, and opened the door for Lacus. When both students had left, Talia chuckled quietly as she shook her head with a smile. But then her expression fell to one of worry and disappointment. She'd forgotten to ask Kira how he'd received the need for a bandage like that, and on his face.

Walking through the hall slowly, to Kira's advisement, Lacus sighed silently. For some reason, she couldn't think of anything to say, and she had no idea why. She also couldn't for the life of her figure out why it became so hard to breathe whenever she was so close to Kira. It was almost aggravating, and Lacus almost felt like pulling her hair. It might've helped had she known Kira was just the exact same way.

Kira looked down at his shoes, and then over towards Lacus, "Well, we're in Gym right now, and then there are Home Economics before school is over," Kira explained, simply trying to start a small conversation. He felt his face heat up again when Lacus glanced over towards him, and she simply smiled, nodding slightly.

"Yeah," she replied, staring down at her shoes. But though she looked just fine and normal on the outside, albeit for traces of a bit of tension in her body, inside she was going mad. Her stomach was clenching into knots, and her chest was aching along with the constant abuse from her heart pounding against her ribs. Her muscles seemed too stubborn to move, and each step became more difficult than the last, and her hand was twitching strangely.

But the conflict was worse in her head, seeing as how her thoughts were swimming so quickly that she couldn't even make sense of them. Closing her eyes for a few moments, she tried to take a few deep breathes to calm herself, but nothing seemed to be working. Opening her eyes, she glanced over towards the tall boy at her side, and she bit her bottom lip sensitively. Inching just a bit closer towards Kira, Lacus felt her heart begin to beat faster than a mouse's, and all the air in her lungs seemed to suddenly disappear when she reached her pale hand out to grasp Kira's.

It seemed that the moment her hand touched his palm, every inch of skin on Lacus' body was instantly set aflame, and she felt her stomach and chest begin to ache horribly as though being squeezed in an iron grip…that is…until Kira's hand gently tightened around hers. Her burning skin seemed as though an icy wind had blown by to cool it down, and her body seemed to relax to an almost dream-like state. The thoughts swirling in her head slowed down, and seemed to merely float through her mind so slowly, that she could practically see each and every one so clearly.

When she sent a glance in Kira's direction, she saw that a light pink had colored his cheeks and ears, and that he seemed to be biting his cheek. His eyes were also staring directly ahead. Lacus couldn't help but continue to stare, '_So cute_,' she repeated. But when Kira took a second to glance over at her, Lacus made a small noise of surprise, and looked away, pulling her hand away from his slightly, just before he tightened his grip and pulled her back to being next to him and their hands clasped between them.

Neither looked back at each other again, and was unaware of the small smiles delicately gracing their lips. But a thought that didn't really register in their minds was that they were slightly thankful that the hallways were empty since class had started ten minutes ago.

* * *

Cagalli shut her locker, hiding the pink rose that had been waiting for her within it under her arm. Katie and Stellar had already gone off to class, and Shinn and Ahmed were busy with a few other boys in a heated argument over the challenge of a dodge ball game in Gym later.

Placing the flower in her bag with the other one, Cagalli sighed and leaned against her locker for a moment. She was getting tired of the flowers already. Stellar was giggling nonstop, Katie would only smile in a way that the golden eyed girl couldn't help but call annoying, and when Shinn had spotted the red ones along with the pink one, he'd begun chuckling. Ahmed was really who she was worried about. The flowers from yesterday had made him really angry, and Cagalli's suspicions of the crush he had on her were confirmed.

Sighing, she knocked her head, before turning around and beginning to walk in the direction of her next class…only to bump into someone's chest. Uttering a small 'Eep' of surprise before stumbling forward, she reached forward instinctively to grasp someone's shoulder, and she pulled herself forward, not intending to fall. But she had pushed herself into someone's chest. "I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, looking up quickly into the face of the young man she'd bumped into, for her golden gaze to meet with hazel.

"Oh, well, that's all right then. Are you all right?" the young man asked, chuckling. It only took a second for Cagalli to recognize him, and she replaced his Kurenai Sakura uniform with a white one.

"Y-You're that transfer student!" Cagalli exclaimed, still not pulling away from him. He only nodded, smiling softly.

"It's nice to see you as well, Cagalli," the boy replied with a small chuckle. But before another word could be said, the girl holding one of the boy's arms suddenly made herself known. Quite loudly, as well.

"Come on! Don't waste your time with these little eighth graders! You said you'd walk me to class, remember? You didn't say we'd stop and _chat_ with underclassmen!" the girl complained loudly, glaring at the blonde girl. Her blue-gray eyes seemed to be glaring poison at the younger girl, and Cagalli glanced over at her to stare back at her with an unreadable expression. After one glance, Cagalli knew she was definitely the immature type, and she didn't like how she'd pulled her thin red hair up into two ponytails.

"Oh, sorry Meyrin," the boy said with a smile, and he looked back to Cagalli, who'd stepped away from him to give him room, and he gave a small wave in goodbye. "See you, Cagalli," he called over his shoulder. Cagalli just watched them walk down the hall, unaware of the fact that Shinn and Ahmed had approached her until Shinn spoke up.

"Hey, Cagalli, who is that guy?" the black haired teen asked curiously. It was then that Cagalli felt her face heat up, and a wave of embarrassment pass through her. This was the second time she'd met him, and she still didn't know much about him besides what any other in the eighth grade might know—especially the one thing that would probably have seemed obvious to at least know about him. Turning away from her two friends, Cagalli began walking towards their next class with the two boys following her.

Ahmed made a comment to Shinn about the boy being a stalker, since Cagalli didn't know his name, but Shinn rolled his eyes, calling Ahmed a paranoid, lovesick puppy. Ahmed promptly stomped on Shinn's foot. "I don't know," she replied quietly, much to the surprise of Shinn and Ahmed.

* * *

Looking up at the clock, the teacher sighed and shut the textbook on his desk. Looking out over his students, he sighed again, and pointed to the door, "All right, bell's gonna ring any minute. You guys get going to your lockers already, it's not like any of you were paying any attention anyway…" the man mumbled, watching as the class hurriedly ran out the door. Kira and Lacus were the last out of the room, and Kira was once again carrying Lacus' bag, adding to the embarrassed blush on her cheeks.

"See you tomorrow, Mr. Waltfeld," Lacus and Kira both said in parting words to their teacher before stepping out the door to head to their lockers. The man looked after them, a small grin on his face from seeing their actions, and he sat down in his chair, leaning back slightly with his hands behind his head.

"The man looked after them, a small grin on his face from seeing their actions, and he sat down in his chair, leaning back slightly with his hands behind his head.

"Young love…" he mused to himself, exhaling loudly.

"Lacus, do you think you'll be all right walking home?" Kira asked a bit worriedly as he waited by her locker, still insisting upon carrying her bag for her. The girl herself was trying to keep the heat in her cheeks hidden as she rummaged in her locker senselessly, and she tried desperately to quiet the flutter in her heart. "I'm sure Cagalli wouldn't mind walking a few extra blocks with me, or even getting home on her own. I can take you home if you need me to," the brunette explained, averting his gaze to the floor tiles.

"No, Kira, that's all right! I really don't want to trouble you, or make you late getting home," Lacus replied quickly, reaching out for her school bag. But before Kira could hand it to her, the bell rang, and Lacus' fingers swept over Kira's hand that held her bag. The two stared down at their hands with slightly widened eyes, and neither made to move either.

As the masses of students made their ways past the two broken teens, the boy and girl lifted their gazes from their hands and looked into each other's eyes. Lacus felt her breath catch in her throat, and Kira gently bit the inside of his cheek nervously. Before they knew what was going on, Lacus wrapped her hands tightly around Kira's hand, and his other hand hesitantly came to rest on both of hers.

The noises from the students in the hallways seemed as though blocked out, and the only thing the two could hear was their hearts pounding rapidly. Lacus slowly inched just a bit closer, and Kira looked down at her with a gently gaze to match her own. For some reason, the simple contact between their hands had caused some sort of strange feeling that controlled both of them, and was slowly ordering them to get closer…But just as Lacus began to tilt her head up, they both heard Kira's name called.

Immediately snapping away from each other, they clumsily broke their hands apart while Kira still tried to hand her bag to her in the awkward manor. Hearing his name called again, Kira looked up to see Murrue Ramius walking towards them, an unreadable expression on her face. When she reached the two, she nodded to Lacus, and turned to Kira.

"Kira, I need to talk to you about something," she said in a serious tone, and turning, she began to walk away, and Kira glanced worriedly with wide eyes towards Lacus before following the teacher through the halls. As the two disappeared into the crowd, Lacus watched with worry in her eyes, and gripped her bag tightly. Just then, Miriallia approached her, her schoolbag packed having already gone to her locker.

"Hey, where's Ms. Ramius taking Kira off to?" Miriallia asked with slight concern and worry in her voice as she looked down at the slightly shorter girl. Her eyes and expression though seemed to be preoccupied though, and it might have had something to do with the fact that for the last few of her classes that day, she'd felt as though someone had been watching her the entire time. And that wasn't too far from the truth, since she had reason to be feeling that odd sensation of being watched at just that moment due to a certain blonde haired boy hidden within the crowd of students…though he was good about not letting her see him, and as far as she knew, she was just being paranoid.

"I don't know, Lacus murmured, her voice small and almost a bit shaky. She really was worried, and seeing that look of terror in Kira's eyes was unbearable. It was as though hearing Ms. Ramius's words had hurt him, or were going to…_'Kira_,' the girl thought to herself worriedly.

* * *

After walking for a few moments till they came to her classroom, Murrue directed Kira inside, and told him to sit down in the chair she'd set in front of her desk. The boy nodded, and hesitantly sat down, feeling as though pinned by invisible needles, he watched as Ms. Ramius slowly walked around her desk to sit in her chair. She then pulled a file from one of her organizer shelves sitting on the corner of her desk, and she opened it, before sifting through a few papers, and then pulling out two of them, one on the bottom of the stack, and the other somewhere from the middle. She set them down in front of Kira, and gestured for him to look at them.

"Kira, what do you notice about these two papers?" Murrue inquired, watching as Kira's eyes looked between them, and a sort of relieved look fall upon his expression. He looked up at his History teacher, and lifted an eyebrow.

"They're the tests we took the other day," he said. "And one of them is mine, and the other is Athrun Zala's…" he muttered, his eyes drifting back to the papers.

"That's right, and what is different about them?" Murrue asked, a small, nervous smile appearing on her lips.

"That mine has a one-hundred mark on it, and that Zala's has a," Kira said slowly, albeit very confused.

"A fifty-seven mark." Murrue finished for him, sitting back in her chair. "I was quite impressed with your essay as well, Kira-kun, and I would have given you extra credit had you any possible need for it," the woman said with a motherly smile. "But Zala's entire test was horrible, and he's lucky that many of the questions were multiple-choice or he would have gotten a lower grade. He's got very good grades in his other classes, except this one, math, and science…which is why I need to talk to you, Kira," Murrue said, finally getting to the point.

"What about?" the boy asked, relaxing a little in his seat. He wasn't very sure about where this conversation was going.

"Well, since you're my star-student, always getting top marks and even in all of your other classes, I was hoping I could ask a favor of you. Kira, Athrun's father, Patrick Zala, is a very important benefactor to the school and also a very prominent businessman and politician. He expects his son to be no less that perfect, and has formally requested that the school find a tutor for Athrun, and you're the top candidate." Murrue said, her gaze trying to look cheerful, even though inside she was worrying to death and quite concerned.

The truth was, Patrick Zala had offered to bribe the teachers to raise Athrun's grades, but thankfully they all refused, and Patrick took the matter to the Principal, which happens to really be Vice Principal Creuset at the moment because Principal Dullindal was away. Creuset had held a meeting over the weekend, and all the teachers and faculty were present to discuss the problem. Losing Zala's donations could severely affect the school, and during the talks, Kira's name had surfaced.

All of his teachers had positive things to say about him, and Andrew Waltfeld who was the science teacher even pointed out he was the most well behaved student in any of his classes, and that he also had had the top marks since the beginning of the school year. Natarle Badgiruel, the other science teacher, had then asked Murrue about Kira, since the two women were good friends and often talked of their students. Murrue agreed that Kira was also the top student in her class, and Kira's other teachers added to her statement.

The only teacher that had sat back and watched the scene unfold was the Gym Teacher, Mwu La Fllaga. He seemed a bit upset by the whole ordeal, and when he glanced towards Murrue, they realized they held the same feelings. When Creuset announced to make Kira Athrun's tutor, Mwu beat Murrue to saying what was on both of their minds.

"But Zala and Azrael don't get along at all,"

But the statement had meant nothing to the Vice Principal, nor anyone else. It seemed Patrick Zala's money was much more important than a student, and practically the best in the school at that.

"Kira, I know you and Zala don't get along very well, but it's very important to the school. Zala-san has also offered to pay you for the lessons you'll give his son," Murrue added, trying to make the offer sound better. But really, both her and La Fllaga saw it as a death wish. The Gym teacher saw how brutal other boys were with Kira, and Murrue wasn't blind or deaf from the gossip she heard the students whisper in the halls. A new fight with Zala and Azrael…Azrael got what was coming to him…Athrun so totally beat him to the ground! And so on. But having never seen it herself, and the fact that Kira never admitted to any of it, or always had an excuse for his cuts and bruises, she had no case.

"I don't need any money…but I'll do it, Ms. Murrue…" Kira stated after a few moments of silence. His head was bowed, and his hands were clutching his knees tightly. "If I don't agree, I'm sure that the teachers have already got a plan that will pretty much force me to be Athrun's tutor, right?" he asked with a grim look.

Murrue looked surprised for a moment, hearing Kira's words, but she averted her gaze to the papers on her desk. She would have wondered how he could have possibly known about something like that, but remembering who she was speaking with, she found calling herself silly was only appropriate. Kira was probably brighter and more intelligent than a few of the teachers here, so it wouldn't be hard for him to figure something like this out.

"I'm sorry Kira; I know how much you must not want to do this…" Murrue said in a quiet voice.

"No, Ms. Murrue. It's all right; it's for the school, so as a student I have to do my part to serve it, right? That's in the code of conduct, isn't it?" he asked, looking up to smile at her weakly with a defeated smile on his lips. The older woman couldn't help but feel a stab of pain in her chest seeing that smile. It reminded her so much of…Shaking her head, she looked back towards Kira and nodded to him.

"All right, you two should probably talk about it later this week, maybe Thursday, or even tomorrow if you don't want to wait two days," Murrue suggested, her smile trying to appear reassuring. They both stood, and Kira nodded in parting to Murrue, who touched his shoulder briefly in a sort of encouraging way. It was soft and gentle, like a simple brush of the hand, but done in a somewhat motherly fashion.

It reminded Kira of a time when he was younger, and in an instant, his eyes tricked him into seeing the image of his mother in place of Murrue. But after an instant and a surprised blink, Kira realized she wasn't his mother, and that she was only his History teacher. "Have a nice afternoon, Ms. Murrue," he said quietly, bowing politely before walking out of the classroom. After a quick look around the near empty hallways, Kira remembered Lacus might still be waiting, and Cagalli must be waiting as well.

* * *

Sitting on the bottom step in front of the High School, Cagalli gently stroked the pale pink petals of the third rose. She'd found it taped to the inside of her locker door. Frowning neutrally down at the flower, the girl placed a petal between two fingers, and plucked it off, dropping it to the ground below. Her brother was taking longer than usual, and her friends had already left. Shinn had soccer practice, Ahmed's mother had come to pick him up, and Stellar said she had to hurry home to start dinner since Neo was getting home late. Katie had started feeling a bit dizzy in their last class, and once Miriallia spotted her with Cagalli after Stellar had left, she had noticed Katie didn't seem to be feeling well.

After giving Cagalli a quick goodbye, both girls began walking home, Miriallia wrapping an arm protectively around her little sister's shoulders. Lacus had remained with Cagalli, and at the moment was standing against the stair ledge, staring into nothingness. As the two girls waited, and Cagalli plucked another petal, a few more students walked out of the school, but a small group of boys pushed another down a few steps, and the boy stumbled a bit till he reached the last step, where he lost his balance and fell, also dropping his bag.

Cagalli and Lacus looked up and over, prepared to go help him, when they both realized it was Dearka, and Lacus recognized the boys who'd pushed him as being on the football team. Though the long haired girl remembered Kira's words to Dearka, she still disliked the young man, but though she also didn't like what the other boys had done. Stepping forward to get in their way and also coincidentally in front of Dearka, Lacus glared at the boys. "I take it you don't plan on apologizing, right?" she asked, her tone icy.

The boys stopped, and exchanged smirks with each other. Turning back to Lacus, the taller boy stepped forward a little closer to her, and tilted his head a bit to the side as he looked down at her. After looking her over, he chuckled, "You're definitely that Lacus Clyne that Ketsuke told us about," the boy said, and watched with morbid amusement as Lacus gasped and visibly trembled. Cagalli watched with a surprised, worried expression, and Dearka watched with curiosity. He was pretty sure he knew the guy they were talking about, and he wondered with shock and extreme curiosity as to his connection with Clyne.

"Hey, Darren, do you think she's as good as her sister?" another of the boys asked, laughing as Lacus seemed to tense up.

The boy who'd first spoken to Lacus, Darren, smirked as he looked over Lacus again, "She's prettier definitely, in a cute way. But no one's good as her sister in bed," the boy declared. Lacus brought her arms up to cross over her chest, and she looked to be shaking. Dearka stood, and turned to face the boys who laughed at the girl's reaction. "But you know, maybe I should just check and see…who knows? Just because she's always with that Azrael doesn't make her toxic," the boy began as he reached out towards Lacus, only for a fist to land in his face.

Stumbling back, Darren looked up with hate in his eyes, his hand covering his nose as a thin trail of blood trickled down from his fingers. Dearka stood in front of Lacus protectively, and he was glaring at the boys. Lacus was staring at the ground, her eyes wide and her breathing shaky. She didn't seem to be watching the scene playing out before them, and Cagalli was watching Dearka with confusion and surprise, before her gaze shifted back to the girl. Snapping back to her senses, the blonde called out her name, and hurried over to her, running past the high school students to stand by her brother's friend.

"You damn bastard!" Darren cursed towards Dearka, who only deepened his glare. As the other boys began to step forwards towards Dearka and Lacus, two advanced on Dearka and held his arms so that Darren could deliver a sound punch to his gut. Dearka dry heaved, his eyes widening from the pain, and his legs trembled as he tried to break away from the two boy's holding him back. As another punch was delivered to his stomach, he bit his lip roughly and made it bleed as he suddenly realized that this was how Kira had felt all those times that he, Athrun, and Yzak had all ganged up on him…except that it had to have been a whole lot worse since Dearka knew Athrun was stronger than these guys.

Cagalli growled darkly as one of the boys pulled her right arm tightly behind her back, and pushed her down onto her knees, while the last boy grabbed Lacus' arm, which made the girl gasp loudly as though just realizing what was happening, and she screamed out in surprise and fear, which almost surprised the boy restraining her. "Damn it, will you shut up!?" the boy growled, pulling roughly on Lacus' arm so that she was facing him as he pulled his hand back as though to slap her.

But just before he could strike the girl, someone stepped in the way and lifted their hand lightning fast to catch the boy's wrist, and grasp it tightly. Kira's eyes were narrowed and dangerous as he glared at the boy, "You don't touch her," he hissed, pushing the boy away and pulling Lacus against himself with one arm around her shoulders. The girl still shook in Kira's one-armed embrace, but she still seemed a bit more calm.

As the confusion spread between the boys, Cagalli growled and broke free of the older boy's hold on her and she hurried to her feet before turning to punch the guy square in the face. Dearka, too, struggled to break out of the boys' grips, but he was only able to free one arm before Darren grabbed his blazer and pulled his fist back to throw into Dearka's face. But before the boy could be hit, Cagalli rushed forward and elbowed the young man in his stomach, and then delivered a kick to his side which roughly sent Darren down to the ground. Of course, Dearka was also knocked down to the ground, just not as painfully. This was Cagalli's compensation for helping the enemy, or so she wasn't completely clued in yet.

She then turned to face the other boys, but they were trying to help the boy she had punched, so that they could run. She glared at them, and they hurried away from the scene, followed by Darren who took a few moments to stand upright, along with the boy Kira had pushed away from Lacus. As they ran, Kira walked over to Cagalli with Lacus still close to him. "Cagalli, are you all right?" he asked with deep concern in his voice as he looked over his sister.

"Don't worry, Kira, I'm fine," Cagalli assured him, smiling. Her gaze then shifted to Lacus, and she frowned worriedly, "Is she all right?" the girl asked. Kira looked down at her, and gently tightened his grip around her shoulders.

"Lacus?" he asked quietly in a soft, gentle voice. The girl had stopped shaking, and was just leaning against Kira with her face buried in his shoulder. She made a small noise of acknowledgment before looking up at Kira with a weak smile. She nodded, saying she was all right.

"I'm not sure what was going on earlier, I guess I just kind of…well, I should really get going, and you should head home, too. I don't want to make you late getting home," the girl said quietly. "Really, Kira…And thank you for rescuing me," she said, a small blush covering her cheeks. But Kira still gazed at her with worry and concern.

"I dunno, I think I should walk you home," Kira said, looking to Cagalli who smiled, approving of the idea.

"No, it's all right, really," Lacus said, not wanting to cause any trouble. But before Kira could respond, Dearka walked up to them slowly, and stood an acceptable distance away from them. His right hand was nursing his left elbow, and Cagalli grinned smugly to herself. The blonde young man looked around the small group for a few moments, before adding his own two cents to the conversation.

"If you're worried about getting her home, I could drive her, that is if you'd trust me," Dearka added, gazing at both Kira and Lacus, who each exchanged looks with each other, before looking back to Dearka. Just as Kira was about to answer, Cagalli cut in.

"Are you crazy!? Why would my brother trust _you_? Especially with Lacus!" Cagalli snapped, glaring up at the older boy with fire in her eyes.

"All right, if it's okay with Lacus," Kira said after a moment, looking down at the girl with an inquiring gaze. She nodded, with a small smile.

"It's fine by me," she replied, much to the surprise and confusion of Cagalli. "If you would trust him, I will as well,"

"All right, my car's in the parking lot, so just follow me," Dearka told her, pulling his car keys out of his pants pocket as though to show proof of his car. "And thank you, Azrael-san, for earlier." Dearka said, looking down towards Cagalli, who stared up at him with a cold glare.

Lacus stepped away from Kira, but they both reached their hands out to quickly grasp each other's palm, before Lacus turned to follow Dearka who stood waiting for her. But just before she walked away, Kira looked up suddenly as though an idea had just popped into his head, and he reached out to gently brush Lacus' shoulder. "Hey, remember, you can call me anytime you want, if you need to talk," Kira added, as though he was referring to the events earlier. Lacus looked at him with slightly widened eyes, and a faint blush. "My phone's always on, so…" he also added, smiling a bit nervously, and biting the inside of his cheek.

Lacus nodded, and laughed softly, "Mine too," she admitted, matching Kira's nervous smile. But Lacus looked away first, and looked over at Dearka who stood waiting for her. She glanced over her shoulder once to wave at Kira, before she and Dearka disappeared behind a corner of the school as they made their way to student parking. Kira looked over to Cagalli, who had a mixed expression on her face. One was of confusion, and the other was a sly smirk.

"Kira, you have some explaining to do about Dearka…" Cagalli began as the two siblings began walking in the direction of their home after Cagalli had retrieved her schoolbag and flowers. "But I also have to tell you that you wear your emotions on your sleeve, and it's no secret with the way you look at her," the blonde girl pointed out as they walked down the sidewalk.

Kira tensed a bit, and swallowed noisily as his eyes widened slightly, "I have no idea what you're talking about," he stammered, rubbing the back of his head slightly. His sister smiled and shook her head, but then her gaze returned to serious. "Still though, why are you suddenly saying that you trust Dearka?" the girl asked, curious about the whole situation.

Kira took a moment, before explaining what had happened that day, but excluding unimportant details. For example his and Lacus' time spent in Ms. Gladys' Clinic. But by the time he'd finished explaining, they were only a few houses down from their own. Cagalli took a few moments to contemplate it all, and she realized that she felt just a tiny bit guilty for what she did to him…just a tiny bit, though, mind you.

"So because of that, you suddenly trust him?" Cagalli asked, looking up at her brother as they stopped at a stop sign to wait for two cars to pass.

"Well, I don't completely trust him, and if it's any consolation, Milly is just as excited about it as you are," Kira admitted with a smile. Cagalli grinned for a moment as she thought about her brother's friend. "But you know, I think it's safe to trust Dearka," Kira confessed quietly as they came ever closer to their home.

"Kira, have you ever considered the thought that you might be a bit _too_ kind and forgiving?" the girl asked.

"Well, when we first moved here, before I met Athrun, I remember meeting Dearka a few times. In fact, he stuck up for me a few times for being too…effeminate," Kira admitted with a small chuckle. "But then Athrun came into the picture, and Dearka changed," Kira explained. "And I guess it may be a bit against my better judgment, but I want to trust Dearka." Kira added, "Besides, you'd have been proud of him the way he punched Athrun in the face,"

Cagalli smiled, shaking her head slowly towards her brother. Kira laughed, and reached over to her as he pulled her into a one armed embrace, before ruffling her hair with his hand gently. Cagalli growled playfully, and reached up to gently tug on her brother's hair. The older sibling let go with a cheerful laugh as the two entered the gates of the Azrael Manor, but both of their expressions fell to ones of seriousness and for Cagalli worry. Muruta's car was parked in the driveway.

* * *

"You like him, don't you?"

Lacus looked up in surprise from Dearka's question, and glanced over towards the boy with a shocked expression. "What? I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Lacus stammered, looking down at her schoolbag which sat on her lap to hide her growing blush from Dearka.

"Really?" Dearka asked in a sly tone and a smirk on his lips. "For some strange reason, I don't believe you," he said, taking another turn that Lacus told him to go through. Lacus, though, chose not to answer him, and just stared out the window…until…

"Is it that obvious?" she inquired quietly, looking over to Dearka.

"You wear your emotions on your sleeve, Princess," Dearka explained, grinning at the nickname he'd given her. "And it seems that the only one who hasn't noticed, is him," he added.

Lacus didn't say another word, until he'd pulled up in front of her house. Turning to him before she got out of his car, she smiled warmly towards him, "Thank you," she said, before climbing out, and closing the door. Dearka didn't leave till he made sure she'd made it into her house, and then he went on his own way home.

**All right, here's the newest installment of **For You**! Hope you like it, because personally, I wasn't too proud with the ending, but I find it acceptable. Anyway, you know the drill, 15 reviews gets you a chapter by next month, more reviews might get you another new chapter in the next few days…Since I'm going away soon, I wanted to type a lot since I'll be gone for a week…but hey, it's all up to you guys! And the whole Dearka being a good guy now, and having a semi-good past interaction with Kira is due to my fondness for purple-eyed characters...and not to mention Dearka's just cool like that...even though Kira is still top best in my heart, (Cue Fangirl sigh And a sign reading "I'm Hopeless")**

**Oh, and GRAVE IMPORTANCE!!! Please answer this question in your review, I'm BEGGING you! Using their cell phones of course, would Lacus call Kira first? Or Kira call Lacus? ANSWER ME MORTALS!!!**

**I love you all!**

**Sam**


	14. Until I Fall Asleep

**I'M BACK BABY! FINALLY!**

**For You and I**

Everyone, I'm so sorry for taking so long, but I got writer's block, and also my first year of high school started, and I've been super busy lately, also with **Gaiaonline**…but that's another story. But I'm back, and trying to get this finished, and I am super happy because of all of you! I got an all time number of **47** reviews for chapter 13 and over 300 for my story! You don't know how happy you've all made me, and I love you all just so much, free cookies for everyone! And carrots for the health nuts! I love all you guys!

And for those of you who noticed the change in the title with the addition of the words "and I," you're very smart for noticing. But the truth is this was supposed to be the title of the story all along, coming from the song "**If We Hold On Together**" by **Diana Ross**. This song inspired the story as well, along with the Avril Lavigne CD I was listening to…but that's not really important, is it? Well, just wanted to let you all know that.

**Heero Kashu89**, I'm going to get around to reading your story, I promise! I've taken a peek at it, and it looks very nice! And I've come to realize what happens when I'm gone for a long time, PEOPLE STEAL MY THUNDER! Like **Heero** and **revenantangel94**! Nah, I'm just joking, I love you guys! I just need to start updating faster to stay in line with my competition. Seriously, everyone, these two are both awesome writers, and you should check out their stories.

**aunandaun**, soon, my precious reviewer, soon…(translation: yes!) And I'm glad that you've read **Heero Kashu's** story.

**Despiration**, I had that exact same thought…but I decided not to use that, it's amazing that we both had the same initial idea, though…

**muibadah**, you didn't hurt my feelings at all! In fact, I didn't even realize your review had anything that possibly

**Chapter 14 Until I Fall Asleep **(Had something else planned originally, but it was all boring and useless, so I made this one instead cause I'm awesome and would rather get more in on the plot.)

The mattress against his stomach and no pressure on his back whatsoever was like a small slice of heaven to his beaten body. But it was unfortunately a bit uncomfortable for his belly, seeing as how he'd taken quite a hit to the stomach near the beginning of Muruta's raging blows. Closing his eyes for a moment, he lifted himself a bit on the side, his hand traveling underneath his body to ghost over his skin towards his stomach, and he cringed and inwardly winced when he pressed his fingertips against the beginning formation of the bruise, or one of the many to rise up, anyway.

He removed his hand, then, and lifted it to his face where he brushed his bangs out of his eyes, an expression of mild annoyance crossing his face when perspiration stuck to his fingers and forehead. He was a little warm and also a bit sweaty after having to drag himself from the kitchen to his bedroom, though he was glad that Cagalli hadn't rushed out to see what was going on. She'd been in the shower, he knew so because he'd heard the water running, and with that, combined with a closed bathroom and bedroom door, she wouldn't have heard a thing. He could feel his shoulders slump slightly, he really wished she didn't have to see any of these, have to deal with any of this. He knew she struggled to hold it all inside, especially when she had to see him hurt, and told that she couldn't do anything.

Kira knew his sister was a strong girl, a girl who only wanted to help him because she loved him, but he loved her too. And it was because of that love that he didn't want her involved any more than she was, because he'd never be able to bear it if she were hurt because of him. He'd only be failing his promise to his mother even more.

Burying his face in his pillow, Kira inhaled slowly, catching the scent of fresh laundry from his pillow case. The smell calmed him, and he felt a little more relaxed, though the pain still shot through his body and seemingly random joints and other locations. Turning his head just enough to glance over towards the nightstand that stood just beside his bed, it took his eyes a moment to focus on the glowing red numbers on the digital clock that sat just on the edge of the stand.

It was facing him in a way that from nearly every angle on his bed, he could see the time. This was essential when he was too sore to move for nothing, such as when he woke up a bit too early and wanted to make sure it wasn't necessary for him to be awake any longer. He needed his sleep more than anyone else, really, though that wasn't his reasoning. The little red numbers read twelve thirty six, and though just reading the time made him feel tired, the brunette couldn't help but feel restless at the same time.

Groaning gently as he sat up, he rested a moment, breathing a bit heavily as though trying to catch his breath. He ground his teeth as he straightened up, a searing pain tearing up through his back as he did so. Lavender eyes closed tightly as he tried to endure the pain for a few moments to get used to it quickly, much like testing the water in a pool or bath, and he then quickly stood up from his bed after pulling his legs over the side. It was too fast, though, because he teetered as he stood, and his right knee seemed to be becoming paralyzed or lame, he wasn't quite sure it happened so fast, but he spilled to the floor on his right side, his hip and shoulder hitting the floorboards with a surprisingly soft sound, but the brown haired male uttered a curse just after a sharp yelp of pain.

Pulling his limbs closer to his body, tucking his knees to his chest, he brought his left hand to clutch at his shoulder tightly, bringing more pain that was enough to even make him cry out softly, but ultimately speeding up the impending sense of numbness that he desperately craved. Breathing just a little heavily, just a little shakily, Kira bit down as hard as he could on his lip as he tried to stand. He could have thrown his head back from the pain such an otherwise simple action was bringing him, but instead, his teeth merely bit through the skin of his lip, filling his mouth with the coppery taste of blood that he was so familiar with.

When he'd finally pulled himself up into a standing position, Kira found himself shaking terribly, as though he were naked standing atop an iceberg. Closing his eyes for a second, Kira shook off the sudden chill he felt his body trying to make him feel, and chastised himself for even thinking such a stupid thought. He should have known thinking of something so stupid would make his mental body state react, such as when one thought of the hair on a spider's legs and they shivered, or thought of a cake baking and could feel the warmth of the fluffy treat fresh out of the oven…

Now why couldn't he have thought of that? Then he wouldn't be shaking from pain and imaginary cold, but would be thinking of some sort of sweet. But, even then…his thoughts didn't bring him to pastries and other confectionary, but to thoughts of the pink haired girl whom he couldn't think of a time his heart hadn't pounded against his chest when he thought of her.

If he hadn't stubbed his toe, along with nearly ramming his shoulder against the doorframe, the brown haired boy wouldn't have realized that he'd reached his bedroom's bathroom door. The actual reason he kept the door closed escaped him, but he was a bit relieved, along with surprised, when he saw that he'd made it across the rest of his room, and didn't even remember stumbling or falling from the small shocks of pain that intensified in his joints as he moved. He felt as though he was reminding himself of Lacus, and a familiar warm feeling settled in his stomach, and seemed to send a temporary moment of peace from his pain.

Bowing his head, Kira reached forward and gripped the doorknob tightly, turning it and opening the door into the dark bathroom before stumbling inside, closing the door behind him as he groped along the wall for the light switch. Thoughts of the girl always seemed to make him feel jittery, or numb with warmth, or feel an anxiousness within his heart, body and mind-_**all over**_-that just wouldn't go away.

But though they were annoying and even unbearable at times, Kira found that he loved them just as much as well. They made him remember the stories he'd read with his sister as a small child, back when their parents were still alive and their mother would sit and read with them till Cagalli fell asleep, and then she'd carry him back to his room, only to have to read another story. But she didn't mind, and Kira loved the stories, despite the fact that they were "girly" or "mushy." It wasn't like he had to tell the boys at school.

But his mother would sometimes tell him the story about a boy and girl who loved each other so much, but had never once met each other, or even seen each other. In fact, they lived on separate ends of the world. Kira had asked his mother how they could have loved each other, then. You could only love someone you've met before, right? But her answer had confused the little boy so much, yet left a warm feeling in his chest as he drifted off to sleep.

"_You may not know who, and they might not even know, but there's always at least one person that cares about you_,"

Those were the same words he'd told that little girl in his dream…Kira felt his eyes widen just a bit as his heart leapt, a startled gasp emitting from his lips as he could just barely recall that dream. But, for some reason, when he tried to picture the little girl, he saw a flash of Lacus, and the smile she'd given him just as she'd started walking away that afternoon. That smile…that girl…his dream…his words…

Glancing up, Kira looked through his bangs at his reflection in the mirror, though the image was distorted since his hair was in the way. A light blush was on his cheeks, and he felt the strange urge, or wish, really, to smile. Even the smallest bit. '_At least one person…_' he thought silently to himself, and the corners of his lips slowly began to lift. Maybe…Lacus could be…

But the moment his hair was out of his eyes and Kira could fully see his reflected image in the glass; he felt that small smile and any warmth in his body fade fast. His pain seemed to double, realizing the boy was now vulnerable to it, and the brown haired teen winced from the biting pain in his right side and the burning ache on his stomach. While he was off in his own thoughts, he'd been undressing himself for his shower, but now that he could see him, _**all of him**_, he felt a sickness in his body unrelated to the bruises and pains that Muruta had caused.

His body was slim and dull, the skin weak and easily marked. He didn't have any sort of overly muscular build, and his arms and legs almost seemed scrawny, or lanky. His body was bruised and scarred all over, almost every part of his body marked or claimed by some sort of mark or bruise. Sure, half of it was fading, but it left his body gross and disgusting. It made him look sick. His eyes finally fell on each other's gaze, and he stared painfully into the face of himself. His reflection looked back at him with a saddened, helpless expression, as though saying, "I can do nothing," and asking, "What can I do?" at the same time.

Looking away from the mirror, Kira let his shirt that he was holding fall to the floor. He could never let Lacus look at his body, because he couldn't even stand looking at it. He and Lacus couldn't possibly be that match, the boy and girl who would love each other without even a face or a name. So the boy staggered towards the glass shower stall, feeling the shooting pain racing from his knees and ankles with every step. He opened the door, and stepped in, turning the water on 'HOT', and as high as it would go.

By the time the water was hitting his aching muscles, he'd leaned himself against the tile wall, allowing his body to take away some of the weight on his legs. He was still shaking just a bit, but it wasn't as terrible as it had been when he had to keep himself standing out in his room. Though as the water fell, pressing down on him and covering him in its heated embrace, he felt heat and a stinging in his eyes, and blinking them just slightly, he felt tears mix with the shower water that poured mercifully down on him.

Parting his lips, only to bit down sharply on his bottom lip, he kept himself from sobbing. He had no reason to be crying, it had to be from the pain in his body, right? He was only relived that the pain was starting to feel a little better with the scorching water, right? Besides, boys weren't supposed to cry…But it still hurt him, when he reminded himself that Lacus was intangible. Keeping his eyes closed, the boy continued leaning against the white tile wall of the shower, huddling underneath the showerhead as torrent after torrent of steaming water fell down onto him.

But as the water continued washing over his skin, he felt himself become just a little calmer, and since he'd grown accustomed to the scorching water just seconds after having first turned it on, he wasn't bothered by the heat, if anything comforted beyond his pains. Standing upright, and tilting his head up just slightly into the stream of water, Kira kept his eyes closed, and tried to calm himself so that the warmth from the water could rush over him, and he'd feel it in every cell of his body.

When the water seemed to form a cloak of heat around him, he felt the strangest feeling as though someone were embracing him tightly, and he swore he could feel the heat of another body clinging close to him. Keeping his eyes closed, he couldn't break the illusion that his mind was weaving, and the fact that in his mind's eye, he wasn't in his shower. He was back at the school, and he and Lacus were the only ones around, and the girl was trapped in his arms, or maybe he was trapped in hers. The brunette could feel a bit of the familiar anxiousness swelling in his stomach that seemed to come whenever the girl was near, but it was accompanied with another feeling that was nearly completely foreign to him. It seemed it intensify, like a pressure building up, the longer he held the long haired girl, and just as he could imagine them leaning in for their faces to come closer for what seemed so forbidden and sacred to him, Kira gasped and his eyes shot open in surprise, only for him to stumble a step backwards and curse softly from the water getting into his eyes.

But his legs seemed to have turned into jello, and he would have fallen to the floor of the shower had he not reached over for the wall to support himself. Breathing just a bit heavily, and shakily, though not from pain, Kira tried to regain his train of thought, trying to remember what had caused him to stumble back. He'd been zoning out, and he knew he'd been thinking about Lacus, but what had caused him to grow so weak so suddenly was a mystery to him. Until he was going to lift his hand to rub his eyes, when he froze, his eyes widening as he realized what he'd been doing while daydreaming.

The flushed blush on his cheeks intensified sharply, and Kira slumped down to the floor of the shower as though in a daze. His hands he gently rubbed against the tiled floor, hoping the water and texture of the floor tiles would get rid of the evidence of the sin he'd just committed so shamelessly. Leaning his head against the tiled wall of the shower, Kira closed his eyes as he chewed the inside of his cheek. He'd just stay in the shower a bit longer, just a little longer till he could forget what he'd just done, and his circulation returned to normal through out his entire body.

* * *

How many times did she tell herself that this wasn't right, not at all? How many times did she try to tell herself that it wasn't true, that it wasn't really happening, and that she'd be fine if she just closed her eyes and counted to three? She'd take in that deep breath, quickly close her eyes, and slowly count to three. Listening to a heartbeat, like the strong one of her father's when she was scared as a little girl, always made the counting easier. 

"_**Three beats of my heart will chase away the monsters, Princess**_**,"** _her father would say in his deep, reassuring voice, and she would nod her head while still keeping her face buried in his chest. Sometimes, he'd count with her, and she would feel so safe, listening to his voice shadow her own as his heart beat so gently and steadily in his chest under her ear._

_The soft thump…thump…thump…and she'd open her eyes, look up, and there would be no monsters from under the bed or in the closet, the dark wouldn't be so scary, and she'd only see her father's smile and kind blue eyes. And his heart would be beating gently, and her hands would let her feel every welcoming pulse with such love and warmth. She would then smile, and curl up in her father's arms, listening to his heart like a lullaby. Thump…thump…thump…_

She was scared…

…One…

She wanted to run away, get to anywhere but there…

…_Two…_

The monsters were hurting her again…

…_**Three…**_

She screamed, tears already running down her cheeks as she struggled, desperately trying to get away.

Just as when she'd opened her eyes and found that what she feared was not gone, so was the heart beat she'd hoped would save her. That man had been dead, along with his heart which was the only heart that could chase away the monsters. It was too busy being dead along with him. Buried deep under cold, hard earth that not even dogs could dig up. That heart was gone, along with the usefulness of the count to three.

"No! Please, stop," she sobbed, her throat sore from screaming as even more tears, fat, salty droplets, fell from the corners of her eyes. "Please!" she screamed again, her voice breaking and cracking, and a sharp pain exploding in the back of her throat. It hurt so much, but she couldn't stop. Screaming was all she could do, all she could hope for rescue.

Again, she tried to kick at Meer, but her legs were held down securely by Meer's knees which the older girl had dug into her little sister's thighs. Meer's hand was holding down both of Lacus' wrists against the carpet of the floor, using her other arm to hold the younger girl's chest down as she continued to struggle. It was proving difficult for the eighteen year old to hold down the sixteen year old, what with her sister's squirming and constant struggling.

"Get off! Please-" Lacus was cut off mid sentence as Meer pulled her arm off of her chest just long enough to pull back her hand to deliver a sound slap to the girl's cheek, successfully making her quiet down.

"Shut up, you little slut," Meer drawled, her eyes wide and pupils dilated, her expression contorted into a sadistic smirk of pleasure. She was drunk, but completely aware of what she was doing at the same time. It had been Lacus' misfortune to have fallen asleep on the couch in the family room, having thought that Meer had gone to Ketsuke's or one of her friends' when she realized no one was home after Dearka had dropped her off. She'd then showered, did as much of her homework as she could, and then gotten dressed for bed before going downstairs to watch TV. She had skipped dinner as usual. Unfortunately, the girl had been right about who Meer was with, but wrong about where.

Meer had come home at almost one in the morning, drunk and still not sleepy, and with Ketsuke. The ashen haired girl had quickly found her sister sleeping on the couch, and had made quick work of waking her. She just hadn't expected the younger girl to struggle enough till they were both down on the carpet.

"Finally, you were about to burst my ear drums with your screaming, Lacus," Meer said darkly, a slightly uppity tone in her voice. Lacus knew it came from her sister's intoxication; she'd been around her sister when Meer was drunk plenty of times to know. But she also knew that her sister was uncontrollable, and that she had to get away before Meer tried to do anything to her. Otherwise…She had to get away from her before Ketsuke grew tired of watching.

Meer's hand went to ghost over her little sister's breast for a moment, making Lacus wince and whimper through her sobs. The older sister grinned, and made a quiet clucking noise with her tongue as she dragged her hand down her sister's long sleeved, blue-silk pajama shirt, coming to rest at the hem. "Aw, Lacus, you're crying! Did you get hurt when you fell?" Meer asked with fake concern just dripping from her words. "That's no reason to cry," the girl added in a hateful voice as her hand dove under the fabric of Lacus' shirt and went up till the pink haired girl could feel her sister's hand over her heart, and her eyes widened to an impossible size as she screamed, just as Meer roughly pulled her hand up, breaking the buttons on Lacus' shirt and causing her bare chest to become exposed.

She stared up at Meer with a terrified look on her face, much the way a mouse would look up at a cat just before being eaten, and the blue eyes that were coated in tears widened even more when she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Ketsuke was beginning to walk closer towards them. "N-No!" she scream again, her voice not sounding like her own from all the screaming, and she renewed her struggles against Meer's hold. "Please, no! No, no, no!" she begged, shaking her head from side to side wildly as Ketsuke came up to just behind her sister. Their expressions were of twin smirks, though Meer had a hint of bloodlust in her eyes.

"I'll give you a reason to cry, if you want one so badly!" she cried out, anger falling over her face. The girl's free hand then went for the hem of Lacus' matching pajama pants, and the girl froze for half a second before a tremor-like shake ceased her body and a deep sob escaped from her throat. "See, I knew I could give you a better reason to cry," the dark haired girl purred as her fingers slowly began to get underneath the elastic band that held the pants around the pale girl's too-slim waist and bony hips.

"No!" Lacus screamed again, taking in a deep, wheezy breath as she tried to bring air back into her exhausted lungs while trying to keep the bile in her stomach from rising. It was hard, and she really did want to vomit, it might even make her sister get off of her, or it may just make her even angrier and do something worse…but what could be worse than this? "No, stop it!" Lacus screamed again, bucking her hips to try and push Meer off of her, and then falling into a fit of coughing.

Meer laughed cruelly and pressed her sister's wrists even harder against the carpet. "Oh Lacus, you should really stop your little innocent act, it's not fooling anyone here," Meer hissed, her hand reaching for the pants' waistband once more. "You little whore…" Meer growled, tightening her hold on the pants' waistband, but not trying to pull them down just yet. Lacus was still squirming in her hold, hot tears streaming down the side of her face.

"No…" Lacus whimpered when she felt Meer's hand began to tug gently at the waistband, and her body began trembling again. Her chest was heaving shakily, making her feel sick, and knowing that Meer and Ketsuke were staring at her made her feel like she was frozen in a glacier.

"You're not fooling anyone," Meer added. "You let Ketsuke-" but before Meer could finish her sentence, Ketsuke placed a hand on her shoulder, immediately calming her down.

"Now, Meer, don't hurt the girl," the boy said, though his tone was less than relieving, and his gaze only made Lacus shake more. "You need to be gentle with little girls, since they can be so temperamental," Ketsuke added, and to Lacus' horror, he was reaching towards her, and she knew she didn't want him to touch her _**anywhere**_.

Throwing her head back and slamming it into the carpet hard enough to see stars, Lacus screamed as loudly as he voice would still let her. She also began pulling at Meer's hold around her wrists, which had weakened some when Ketsuke had intervened with her older sister's plans. She didn't want Meer to be touching her, and there was no way in Hell that she would ever let Ketsuke get to her so easily, she couldn't let them…she couldn't let him…Not again…

Getting her hands free from her older sister's grasp, Lacus quickly pulled her hand back and slung it towards Ketsuke, who was closest. Her palm connected with his cheek, and the sharp smacking sound surprised the three of them, and gave Lacus just the right second she needed to pull her legs out from under her sister, knocking her back as well. Without wasting another ounce of time, Lacus shot up and started running towards the closest way out of the danger of Meer and Ketsuke.

Her first thought had been to run out the front door, but if she did that, she'd probably stumble down the walkway, or Ketsuke would easily go after her to keep her from catching any of the neighbors' attention. Besides, the last time she'd tried something like that, it didn't end well. Instead, she knew the only place she could go would be her room. She could lock the door; push the vanity in front of it, something, _anything_, just to keep Ketsuke and her sister away from her. _**Anything**_…

But she hadn't expected Meer to be just behind her, and the minute she began trying to run up the front stairs, Lacus felt a tug at her pants, and looked down to see her sister trying to keep her from running. "You little bitch! I'm going to make you regret that," she screamed, enraged. But Lacus only took half a second to look up and see Ketsuke walking calmly down the hallway towards them, and she cried out loudly, feeling her tears begin to run quickly yet again.

Falling just a bit down onto the stairs, Lacus quickly lifted her hands to her waist and eased the elastic band past her hips, and quickly pulled herself out of her pants before Meer could grab her shirt or wrist, and took off running up the stairs, dressed only in her ruined shirt and underwear, two, and once or twice, three steps at a time. She could hear Meer coming after her, but she tried to force herself to go faster. When she reached the upstairs hallway, Lacus tried turning too quickly, and ended up stumbling and falling onto her stomach, banging her elbow and knee against a hallway table.

Crying out from the pain, anguish clearly evident in her tone, the girl sobbed as she tried to pull herself up quickly. But nothing could have been fast enough, since she heard Meer slowing down as she reached the hallway. Lacus whimpered when she heard her older sister chuckle. That spurred her to hurry, and she hurried to get up, and not dwell on her stumbles as she tried to reach her bedroom door. If she could just reach it…

Heaven wouldn't be a surprise for Lacus, because she knew it would feel exactly like she felt the moment she crossed over through the doorway to her bedroom. Before she could truly feel relieved, though, she remembered Meer was right behind her, and without another second's hesitation, she slammed the door shut, pressing in the lock desperately. But not two moments after was the door rumbling and shaking as Meer pounded her fists against the only thing keeping Lacus from her.

"Lacus! Open the door, I promise not to hurt you, little sister," Meer called out sweetly, though her hands continued hitting the door with as much force as she could. "Please, Lacus? I'm sorry if I scared you! Let me make it up to you!?" Another sob escaped from the girl's trembling lips, and she stumbled through her dark bedroom, unable to see through the darkness and her tear clouded eyes. She even screamed when she bumped into her vanity table, nearly falling over the chair. But she sobbed freely when Meer's words continued to come through the door, which still shook and trembled with every hit it endured from her hands.

Her hands flew over her desk, searching for one specific thing, but not being able to find it. She knocked over nearly everything that sat on top of the vanity, and with each item falling, she jumped or flinched from the noise. The girl screamed out and fell to her knees when Meer seemed to have slammed her body, or her shoulder, into the door. "Lacus! Open the fucking door!" the older girl demanded, slamming into the door again.

Lacus shook her head wildly, holding her hands against her ears as though trying to block out the sounds. But it wasn't working, not at all. When Meer repeated herself, Lacus screamed again, and abandoned her ears to wrap her arms around herself, and feeling the violent shaking of her body only made her feel even more frightened.

Standing shakily, and nearly petrified from the fear of Meer really breaking down her door and coming in to drag her out by her hair just as she was screaming through the wooden barrier, Lacus tried to keep herself steady. Before the girl could hear another threat made by her sister, she hurried over towards her desk, or at least where she thought her desk was in her room, and she found it after banging her knee into one of the desk legs.

Grabbing her school bag from the top of the desk, Lacus nearly fell as she turned around when Meer hit the door again. Ignoring the other girl's screaming, Lacus stumbled towards her closet, pushing open the door and stepping into the dark, small space. Closing the door behind her, she took in a few deep breaths, still holding her school bag. The sounds of Meer trying to get into her room were so faint now, and lacus felt just a bit of relief, but it wasn't enough to calm her down. Trying to take in another deep breath, another sob threatened to slip past, and she tried to hold it in, but it made her throat hurt just a bit, and she hiccupped.

Tears still slipped from her eyes and down her already soaked cheeks as she slowly slid down the door, falling into a sitting position on the floor. Without skipping a heartbeat, the girl opened her back and reached into it, her fingers searching desperately for something she only hoped she had not left at school. Her fingers brushed past something cool and made of metal, and Lacus felt a small wave of relief quickly pass over her. Pulling out her geometric compass, the girl held it tightly in one hand while her other searched for the sharp point on the other end. When she found it, she sucked in a deep breath of relief, and just as she was lowering the dangerous edge to the scared skin of her wrist, she froze, her eyes wide.

"_**I don't want you to hurt yourself like this,"**_

Those words echoing in her head, Lacus felt her body begin a new tremble, and she dropped the compass with a shaking hand. Bringing her legs up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her knees, hoping to stop the shaking of her body, but failing. Her body was now shaking with each sob that slipped past her lips, and the number was counted with each tear that fell onto her knees. After a few minutes, the girl glanced up from her knees towards where she thought she dropped her schoolbag, and she frowned slightly, staring in the bag's direction as though she blamed it for what had happened to her not even an hour ago, and with a soft cry, she kicked it aside. But after doing so, a pale blue light filled the closet, and Lacus looked over towards her bag where the light was coming from.

Her cell phone had partially fallen out and flipped open, activating the light and lighting up the closet. Reaching for it, Lacus picked it up hesitantly, and glanced at the time. Nearly one thirty in the morning, and she knew there was no way she would be able to sleep. Feeling more tears building up behind her eyes, Lacus was about to drop the phone again, when her eyes fell over the small icon on the bottom of the screen that read CONTACTS. Parting her lips slightly, Lacus pressed a button with her thumb, and looked at the single number that occupied her contacts list.

The temptation to close her cell phone was great, but that was only because she knew it was late. But the urge to press the SEND button was greater, and closing her eyes, Lacus pressed the button and brought the phone up to her ear, closing her eyes and biting her lip more tightly with each passing ring. He'd said she could call at any time…and it's not like she couldn't just call and listen to his voice on the away message. That's all the pale girl wanted, to hear his voice. Even if it was on some stupid phone recording.

* * *

Stepping out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, Kira held another in his hands and was using it to towel dry his hair. He was feeling better after the shower, but his cheeks were still a bit pink, this he'd noticed from making the mistake of glancing in the mirror. Though his aches and pains weren't as sharp and intense as they were before, Kira still had a little trouble standing still, and only wanted to get in bed. He didn't even want to get dressed, just try and sleep. 

Having all that time in the shower trying to forget one thing made him think of too many others, and the main one he'd ended up focusing on was how he submitted to Muruta so easily. How he let the man stick that needle in his neck, and inject him with whatever was in that syringe, and then let him beat him till he was bored…He knew that he did it for Cagalli, but he was growing tired. He wanted to keep protecting his sister, but the pain he was constantly living with…His mother had always called him such a strong person for taking so much responsibility as a child.

He didn't want to feel this pain anymore, he didn't want to live with it, to hide it, to cover it up. The truth was, he wasn't that strong of a person. He couldn't keep doing this forever, he didn't want to continue suffering. It may be only for another few years, but those few years would surely kill him if he could barely get by now. He'd even thought of…

No, he'd never do something like that. He couldn't leave Cagalli, and he certainly couldn't make her do the same, she had a chance to still have a good life. Just because he would…No, he had decided he couldn't do something like that. He'd have to bear with this just a bit longer. Maybe, he could somehow figure out how to survive through the next few years, even if just by the skin of his back.

Sighing tiredly, the brown haired boy dropped both towels into the laundry basket that served as a towel hamper beside his nightstand, and sat down on his bed after pulling the sheets back. He wasn't exactly sure if it would be more comfortable for his bruises if he slept on his stomach, but he really didn't want to, having always found lying on his back or side more comfortable. But the moment his head hit the pillow, and he pulled the sheets up to his chest, Kira winced slightly, and shifted his position in his bed. But no matter which way he moved, he couldn't find a place that didn't seem to be applying any extra pressure to his already sore back.

But before he had the chance to think of any other way besides sleeping on his stomach, the boy heard a distinct but quiet noise that was foreign yet familiar to him at the same time. The noise was coming from somewhere near the nightstand, such as on the floor, and the boy was forced to turn over on his side. Wincing from the slight pain and discomfort of practically having to lie on his own arm for a few moments, Kira pushed the slight pain out of his mind as he groped around the floor, searching for his schoolbag while murmuring a few curses about his room being too dark for one thirty three in the morning. When he finally found his schoolbag, he opened it with one hand and reached inside, pulling out his cell phone only to stare at it in confusion for a few minutes till it rang again, the noise still a soft chime, barely loud enough for even him to hear, and the device also vibrated gently in his hand.

But what was keeping Kira from flipping it open to answer was the name on the small screen that read the caller ID. Caller ID only gave names to those on your contact list, and only two numbers were on his list. Cagalli's and…But, why would she be calling? Was it maybe a technical error? Such as her phone, or even his phone, was low on batteries or its circuit board was fried and it was acting out?

"Lacus…" Kira whispered quietly, before steeling himself, and flipping the phone open on the sixth ring, trying to remember how many rings it took before voicemail took over. Holding the mobile phone up to his ear, Kira stared at his pillow that lay directly in front of him, and he wondered how he should answer. But before he could think of anything to say first, the caller on the other end beat him to it.

"_Kira?"_

Kira's eyes widened and his lips parted slightly, before he shifted slightly on his bed to make himself more comfortable. "Lacus, are you all right?" Kira asked quietly, though urgently all the same. The girl's voice sounded hoarse and faint, and it also sounded like she'd been crying, or still was.

* * *

Lacus' eyes widened when she heard the concern in Kira's voice, and she felt her heart flutter, and a small bit of warmth settle in her stomach. Kira was worried, which meant he obviously cared. And she was relieved that he didn't sound angry with her for calling so early. Yet, anyway. Pulling her legs closer to her body and using her free hand to clutch her knee more tightly, Lacus tried to press herself even further against her closet door, as though trying to become part of it. "Kira, I'm so sorry…for call…calling you so late," she stammered, a sob nearly threatening to slip past. She didn't know why, but she felt like crying all over again, though this time, she wasn't sure if they were tears of fear gathering in her eyes, or relief. "But, I didn't…I, I couldn't…" the girl stumbled over her words, her eyes already filled with tears. 

"_Lacus, you're crying! What's wrong!? Please tell me,"_ Kira begged from the other end of the line, the concern and worry in his voice enough to make Lacus want to smile and cry at the same time. _"Did you hurt yourself again? Lacus, you know you can tell me, please,"_ Kira added.

"No, I…I almost did, but then I called you instead," Lacus managed to get out rather normally, though her eyes stung and her nose felt like it was ready to run. "I so sorry, Kira. I really don't mean to be bothering you," she began, only for Kira to interrupt her.

"_Lacus, you're not bothering me, that's impossible."_ the boy stated reassuringly, and it was enough to make Lacus feel less anxious. _"And I'm glad that you called me instead of…the other option…But Lacus, you didn't answer me, are you all right?"_

"I…I'm…No," the long haired teen answered, the sob she'd been trying to hold in finally breaking through. Her body shook again, and she did everything she could to keep from dropping the phone. Trying to breath between sobs, she couldn't help the tiniest of smiles brightening her lips with each worried phrase from Kira, asking why she was crying and if she was all right. His sincerity was always so…right now it was one of the few things she really wanted.

* * *

Kira stared down at his pillow, wish that he wasn't talking to Lacus over the phone. He could hear the girl sobbing, and he could practically feel the fear that seemed to be clinging to her right through the phone. He wanted to take her into his arms and hold her tightly till whatever was the cause of her tears was nothing but a very distant memory in her mind. But he couldn't, and that realization made him feel helpless and worthless. 

"Lacus, please, tell me you're not hurt, are you!?" he asked, hoping to get an answer from her. "You are at home, right? Lacus, please tell me what's wrong," he pleaded, hoping that she was all right.

"_K-Kira, please, just stay on the phone with me till I fall asleep_!" Lacus begged between sobs, chocking on her words and her tears. _"Please, I don't want to feel alone, not right now…"_

"All right, Lacus, I'll stay on," Kira promised, his tone gentle and soft, like the way he would speak to her if she were beside him and not far away. "I won't leave you alone,"

"_Kira…can you please…"_ Lacus paused, trying to keep a sob down while also trying to form her words carefully. _"Can you please just keep on talking? I don't care what you talk about, I just really want to hear your voice right now, I…"_ but the girl fell into another fit of sobs before she could finish.

"Whatever you want, Lacus," Kira answered, and he smiled slightly when he could hear the deep sigh of relief through the sobs coming from the girl through the phone.

Settling down into his bed, and pulling the sheets up closer around his body but leaving his arms uncovered, and one arm holding the phone comfortably to his ear, Kira closed his eyes, suddenly not tired at all. His mind was no longer even on his thoughts from earlier, for all he could think of now was the girl crying uncontrollably on the other end of the phone and how much he so desperately wanted to hold her in his arms just then and give her his shoulder to cry on. But he'd settle for the next best thing, and fulfill her request.

That was how he began telling Lacus about his mother, and how she would tell he and his sister stories when she was still alive, and they were much younger. He even told a few he remembered, though he couldn't recall a few parts, and had to make it up as he went along. As the seconds ticked into minutes, and the minutes slowly dragged into hours, Kira continued to talk, only because Lacus had said that's all she wanted. He was a bit drowsy, but he didn't mind, because he could tell this was the only way he could comfort her.

It was when Kira's words began to repeat upon themselves and the occasionally yawn become more frequent did Kira realize that he was growing tired. But he didn't stop, and eventually, he couldn't even tell that he was talking complete gibberish as his sentences ran over and across each other, and sometimes were backwards. He didn't even know that he'd stopped talking till he fell asleep near five thirty in the morning. It may be a good thing that he didn't know that Lacus had fallen asleep nearly half an hour ago, having curled up on the carpet floor of her closet with her pajama shirt tucked tightly around her and her hand holding her cell phone gently to her ear, her tears having quieted hours ago.

**All right, even though I really don't want to, I'm going to end it here for now. I know I usually make some insanely long chapter for you people between 8 or 9 thousand words when I have one of my 5-month writer's blocks, but I think this will satisfy you guys and give you something to read while I type up the next chapter. See, I think you guys may like it if I typed shorter chapters more often than getting one hell of a long chapter every five months. I can almost guarantee you with my soul as my gambling piece that I'd be able to update at least once a month if I only had to type a 5 to 7 thousand word chapter.**

**Would you guys like that? Now, since I'm doing that now, I really want to have the next chapter in by next week or the next two weeks, but it depends on whether I get a lot of reviews of your feedback and whether or not I get addicted to Gaiaonline all over again and end up wanting to do nothing else but role-play all day…Let me know what you'd like me to do for chapter length in your review! And let me know what you think of the chapter as well, everyone, and I think you make like to know that I had to listen to **Adam Merrin's** song **Still Alright** 201 times before even coming close to finishing this chapter! And it took all of my Saturday, but you know what? I'VE NEVER HAD A BETTER SATURDAY! I LOVE writing my Fanfiction updates when I really get into the mood! Hey, maybe I'll update Bound by Blood soon, too? Wouldn't that be nice…**

**And thanks again for all your feedback from my question last chapter everyone! I love you all, and hope you still love me! (Tell me you love me in your review and I may want to update faster…)**

Sam


	15. Dawning

For You and I

**For You and I**

All right everyone, please forgive me for the late update, but school has been absolutely brutal, and I've actually been getting SICK! SICK! I don't get sick! But due to a bit of depression and stress, I've been a bit out of it and apparently when you're sad, your body doesn't work right, so says my health teacher, and so my immune system was dying and making me sick…but now I'm updating, so I'm happy! And your reviews make me even more happy with such happiness I forget about all the bad things going on in my life at the moment, and I just feel so great to get such beautiful reviews from beautiful readers! I love you people.

And incase I didn't tell you all enough of how much I LOVE you for reviewing! I LOVEY LOVE-love-luv you all to itty bitty bits! Virtual chocolate muffins for everyone! **Shadow Chaser**, I'm happy to tell you that something WILL be going right for someone…And though I'd love to personally thank you all for your reviews, I want to get on with the chapter! And I'm sure you all want to as well! I'll have another long ending note anyway, as usual though, so whatever I don't say here will be said there. Whatever…here's a hint of what's in the chapter though…Fluff…and possibly a kiss?! Oh, I'm positively evil…

**Chapter 15 Dawning**

Cracking open one eye slowly, begrudgingly, from the noise of the alarm clock busily buzzing away on the nightstand, Kira glanced over tiredly to read the time, and furrowed his brow in confusion. It was nearly seven, how long had his alarm clock been going off!? He usually set it for six, sometimes five thirty…but waking up this late? Sitting up, the brunette guessed it to be dumb luck that his room was no where near Muruta's. Otherwise he'd definitely get some sort of punishment, and for the one and only time in his life, he would mildly understand it. After all, no one wanted to be pulled from sleep early because someone else's alarm clock was busy buzzing away.

Sitting up on his elbows, Kira winced slightly from the pain in his stomach and back. He also felt an abnormally warm spot on his cheek, and lifted his hand to trace over a strange imprint he could barely feel on his skin. But glancing down at his pillow, Kira's tired eyes widened when he saw his cell phone, flipped open, and the low battery light flashing almost irritably, not that electronics had emotions, of course. There was no moment of amnesia or question as to why his cell phone was open, Kira knew exactly why, and all over again, he felt concern dripping into his mind and track of thought. Worry for the girl who'd called him sobbing and ready to shatter at one-thirty in the morning.

Sighing tiredly to stifle a yawn, Kira lifted a hand and ruffled it through his hair, blinking his eyes slowly, and having just a bit more difficulty opening his eyes each time. He was still really tired…that was definitely not a very good thing. Wearily sitting up, he ignored the pains grumbling in his body, and looked over towards the dresser that seemed to have moved farther away from his bed during the night. Sighing, he tried to keep his mind off of the immense waves of stings and aches rushing about under his skin, and he struggled towards the dresser, luckily not falling. He was getting pretty good at this, he mused morbidly to himself. It didn't take long for him to get fresh clothes on, tying his uniform tie with slightly shaky fingers. He had no idea how he'd be able to handle breakfast…speaking of which! Glancing over towards the clock on his bedside table, Kira's light violet eyes widened when he registered the time. He was _really_ behind.

Rushing out of his room, but taking mind to stick close to one of the walls in the hallway to give himself something of a support, he made his way to the kitchen. But when the young man stepped through the doorway, he was surprised to find Cagalli dressed and eating a bowl of cereal silently, her tired eyes staring at the two plates on the table top, filled with eggs and bacon, along with a slice of toast that looked just a bit burnt around the crust edges. The brunette's lips pulled into a pained smile, and the blonde girl glanced up to see her brother in the doorway. She also brought up a smile, but it fell quickly when she saw her older brother's suddenly serious expression tugging his features down.

"Ah…Kira, don't worry about breakfast, I made it carefully, so…" she rambled, watching with a troubled smile and gaze as her brother walked over to the table, stopping by the edge. He looked down at the plates, and carefully lifted his hand to take one of the two empty glasses. But before he went to the sink to get water, he looked down at Cagalli, his visage mixed with his physical pain pulling on him, gratitude towards his sister, and also a strange look of disapproval that Cagalli had never seen directed towards _her_self. "Kira…" she began, but stopped when Kira's eyes suddenly widened and he bent over just a bit, his hands quivering, and the glass falling to the table, not breaking, but still making a clatter. "Kira!" the blonde cried out with surprise, standing from her seat and reaching for her brother's shoulder.

But Kira surprised two people with his sudden actions: Cagalli…and himself. As soon as the younger girl's fingers brushed the fabric of his school blazer, Kira violently pulled away and stood up straight, nearly glaring at the girl. But this look softened almost immediately, though he still looked stern. The boy reached over and pressed a hand heavily on his sister's shoulder. Looking up at him with a bit of confusion, the girl was about to open her mouth and say something, but Kira beat her to the punch.

"You don't need to cry at night," he said softly. "It's no matter, and you're only exhausting yourself. Don't waste yourself to just lament over the situation, it won't do you any good. It won't do any good for either of us," he added, looking towards his sister with an almost saddened smile. "I know because there are dark lines under your eyes, and your eyes are faintly puffy every morning after…You don't need to continue worrying about it, all right?" the boy asked, his voice so soft, and his tone nearly sweet, one would think the entire matter was over something small and trivial. Not the bruises and whispers of pain that the siblings lived with, and Kira suffered from.

Cagalli merely nodded slightly, and though a saddened expression stained her features, she tried to smile just a bit, if only to reassure her brother. Kira nodded, and glanced over at the food with a bit of apprehension. His stomach wasn't reacting as pleasantly as one would want for such a sight as a warm breakfast prepared lovingly. Sighing, he just took the glass, and used it to get a glass of water. That would tide him over till lunch…But he glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall and frowned slightly. He was really off schedule today, there wasn't time…

"Come one, we should get going before we're late," he said casually with a smile. The blonde girl looked a bit hurt that her brother wasn't even going to taste the food, but she caught on easily that his stomach couldn't be cooperating with him right now. That was all, she could rest easy with that excuse…She could make dinner or something, give her brother a break after school…That should do just fine. Brightening, she stood from the table and took her dishes, along with Kira's untouched food, to the sink, dumping her brother's breakfast into the garbage. Muruta would find his food just fine, though the blonde girl wished she'd put poison in it or something…maybe she could do that with dinner? The blonde girl shook her head sadly, she really wasn't handling her thoughts well…She needed to toughen herself up, and control herself. Silly thoughts like that could never work.

Kira was holding the door open for her, and that carefree smile that nearly broke her heart every time she saw it was on his face. Cagalli brought up her own faked smile, though she'd perfected it to look almost completely real. Kira couldn't even tell the difference. The brown haired boy closed and locked the doors to their 'home,' and followed Cagalli down the walkway towards the sidewalk. He was glad she hadn't asked him about his lunch, or breakfast, but the boy's expression when his sister wasn't looking was filled with turmoil, along with the unfamiliar weariness. He was getting tired of all of this…

* * *

The din of the hallway made little to no noise that registered in his ears, as he was paying no mind to it. He couldn't, what with his thoughts currently being tied tightly around the one figment of his mind that seemed to make his body ache ten times over than that of his foster father's bruises, and still make him feel warm and protected within. He knew he was supposed to be the one that gave protection, but even he needed some sort of comfort every now and then.

Having woken up the way he did, there was a mixture of emotions boiling in his mind, and most of his fatigue was from the worrying and anger that flamed within from his and Lacus' conversation that he remembered in frighteningly clear detail, including the desperation and fear he'd heard in Lacus' voice through her sobs. Just simply recalling it made his chest ache, and a small pain in the back of his head, beside the slight pain from only getting little more than an hour of sleep after speaking near deliriously for a half hour and passing out. He still had no clue how she could get so worked up, and he was really confused. It was as he came to his locker and began to dial his combination that he realized he didn't know the girl's home situation.

Eyes widening and a lump forming in his throat, the brunette stared at the lock to his locker with wide eyes, lips pursed tightly as his mind raced at a thousand thoughts a second. Now that he really thought about it, he didn't know much about the girl besides just knowing her personality, but he knew nothing of her family, the past few years of her life, and he'd never even asked. He never asked about anything that personal, not even when he discovered that she cut herself. His hand grasping his lock tightly, the boy bowed his head, and his hand shook with the regret and self-loathing that he felt for himself right now.

Lacus could have called him that morning after having been beaten by her mother, or maybe…God he wished it wasn't possible, but what if she was sexually assaulted by her father? So many terrible ideas raced through his mind, each one making his stomach ache and curl and his hatred for himself grew. Some friend he was, if he didn't even have the sense to ask his friend if everything was alright, with her _**and**_ at home.

But then, looking up and over his shoulder just a few lockers over, Kira's eyes narrowed, and he bit his bottom lip. Lacus' locker looked foreboding at that moment, and he felt a chilling shiver rush through his body. She had to come to school today, she had to…if she didn't, he wasn't sure what he would do. But today, he was definitely going to tie the loose ends, he would try to find out something about last night, even if he had to do so albeit a little forcefully.

Though most importantly, he just wanted to see Lacus at that exact moment, so that he could see with his own eyes that she was fine and in one piece. The concern was nearly weighing him down like a deadweight over his shoulders, and with all these thoughts swimming in his head, he almost pushed out the thoughts of his situation at home and with Muruta, even the slightly odd atmosphere he'd felt when around Cagalli lately. Lacus was in his thoughts, and she was fully occupying them with every bit of emotion Kira felt he could possibly feel towards the girl. If only she were there beside him at that moment that he would do to her what he wished he could do much earlier that morning when she'd first called sobbing…

It was while he was off, stuck in these thoughts that Kira seemed to not notice the movement at his side, and the sudden movement in the corner of his vision, besides a flash of pink…Which could only mean one person, and Kira nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt the ever so small brush of fingertips against his shoulder. With an aching heart that was currently skipping much needed beats, and lungs that lost all air, Kira turned to face the girl who stood beside him, his lips ready to give her a smile. But what came to him was the crease of a frown drenched in near disbelief and eyes that widened in near horror.

She looked terrible. That was one of the first few things that came to his mind when Kira finally saw the pink haired teen. Her pale, clear blue eyes were still rimmed with red from all the crying she had to have done that morning, and the boy had an aching suspicion that it extended far before the phone call. She also looked tired, and not in the form of not enough sleep. She looked exhausted, and ready to drop down right in front of him, the dark shadows under her eyes obvious evidence of this. Her hair looked mused and waved strangely just a bit in a few areas, as though she had slept awkwardly and didn't brush her hair out. Her arms were up around her body, clutching to herself as though she were trying to keep herself in and from falling apart, or worse yet, hoping to keep anyone and anything out. The poor girl that Kira found himself desperately wanting to touch looked like she'd been dragged through Hell and back seven times over by her hair, and it broke his heart to see the pathetic smile she was trying to bring up to her lips.

A slightly embarrassed blush covered her face when she noticed the boy staring, and Lacus averted her gaze to the tips of his shoes, staring at them intently as though they were the most interesting thing in the world. Her deplorable smile wavered and the obviously fake calm she masked her expression with flickered for a moment, before she parted her lips to speak.

"Kira, I'm sorry," she began, her voice small and whispery, the slight wince in her eyes not going unnoticed by Kira. But both immediately knew it was simply because of her throat being raw from her crying, though Lacus knew it was mainly the screaming. It was extremely sore and tender, and it hurt very much to speak.

But before she could say any more words, or carry on her charade of being perfectly fine, a seriously stern expression crossed Kira's face, and without a word, he leant forward and wrapped his arms around the smaller girl with such intensity and desperation, the girl was too surprised to do or say a single thing. But feeling Kira's thin arms around her shoulders, and her face pressed against the front of his blazer over his chest, Lacus couldn't have felt more surprised or secure than she did at that moment.

When he'd finally seen her, the brunette's resolve to uncover what had happened last night and all the things he'd been planning and preparing himself to say were suddenly thrust out of his mind, and the only thought that his brain and body could agree with was to embrace her. Kira's arms were wrapped around the girl's thin form tightly, possibly even too tightly, but Kira truly couldn't allow himself to loosen his current grip, even though it pained his stomach to no end to be pulling the girl so close. He feared that if he did loosen or let go, the girl would slip away into nothing. His heart was racing and pounding wildly in his chest, he was sure she could feel it, but he only slightly shifted his position so that he pulled her closer to him so that their bodies were pressed tightly against one another's. One of his hands was rubbing the small of her back in a comforting motion, though he was careful since he wasn't sure if she was still sore or not, and his other hand was holding her head against his chest, being gentle enough to try and not cause her any discomfort, but unwilling to loosen his grip once more.

"Don't you dare apologize to me, all right?" he whispered gently, bowing his head and pressing his face against her silken locks. "I don't care if we talk every night, all night, and I never sleep again," he said quickly, his words flying from his lips faster than he could stop and think about what he was saying, though his cheeks took up a bit of color when the nature of the words began to dawn on his brain. "Just, _**please**_…don't apologize," he added, feeling a small tear in his chest when he felt the girl's body tremble against his own.

Kira didn't know what had possessed him to bring the girl this close, especially when anyone could see them, but he really couldn't care any less about that, because he could immediately sense that she had needed him right then. A small tremor quaked in his hands, and he tried to smile just a bit when he pulled away from the girl, but only enough that he could look down at her, and see her slightly red face and watery eyes. She looked up at him with just the smallest hint of embarrassment, but otherwise, the only emotion capturing her facial expression was pure gratitude. Her quivering lips were the telltale sign of her impending tears, and she didn't bring her hands away from her arms, till Kira regretfully removed his hands from her, and placed them over her own.

"Lacus," he said softly, a small smile turning up the corners of his lips as he lifted one hand to her face to gently brush his thumb underneath her eyes, removing any moisture that had collected in her lashes. The girl blinked her eyes, the collected water falling from the corners as excess tears, though when she opened her eyes, her gaze was still a bit watery.

"Kira, you look tired," she said quietly, an apologetic expression on her face. "I really didn't mean to call you so late, but…" the girl was hushed when Kira gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Instead of continuing, she averted her gaze from him and returned to staring down at the floor.

"That sounds like an apology to me," Kira murmured, his smile not very convincing as he tried to put up a cheerful mask. He was a little glad that she'd looked away, since she'd probably have seen the falters in his little façade that he was trying to pull up. "But…are you all right now?"

A quick nod served as her answer, and she bit down on her lower lip gently, her nervous fidgeting more than enough for Kira to see how shaken she still was from whatever plagued her. And just the obvious evidence he needed to know that her nod was just an evasion of the question. He could have sighed, his thoughts already knowingly spreading to if she told the truth last night about not hurting herself. His eyes were trained on her wrists, and he stared solemnly at them. How useless was this dance they played everyday, pretending to be all right even though they always knew that they were faking?

But, before either said another thing to one another, a single voice broke through their mental wall to the real world, and the din of the hallway and their fellow classmates came rushing at them. It startled both of them, and Kira turned to glance over his shoulder, his hand that still lay over Lacus' arm pressing a bit of pressure as worry gripped his heart. Of all his luck, he should have guessed that his other tormentor would have to ruin this moment.

"Hey Azrael, it's been awhile since we had a nice little man to man chat, hm?" Athrun Zala asked jokingly with a narrowed gaze filled with malice as he glared over the two other teenagers. But he looked over Kira and down at Lacus, raising an eyebrow when he saw the way the two were making contact. Shaking his head as he stepped a little closer, his lips broke into a smirk.

Kira looked behind Athrun for only a second, though, having expected to see a familiar head of silver, but was a bit surprised to see that Yzak wasn't with Athrun for once. But his attention immediately flipped back to Athrun, and he narrowed his own gaze and felt his body tense as he subconsciously recalled the results of almost every other encounter with the Zala boy. He didn't like the way Athrun was staring at them, and it didn't take all that much at all for Kira to know that Athrun was staring at Lacus.

"What do you want, Zala?" Kira questioned icily, finding it in him to at least try and put up a front. He really would rather play subservient and get away without too much of a fight, but he knew the chances of that were slim, and he wasn't about to let Athrun say or do anything that may hurt Lacus, intentionally or otherwise.

Ignoring Kira, Athrun stopped just about an arm's length away from them, and he continued to stare down predatorily towards Lacus. "Clyne-san, I thought I'd heard of you from somewhere, and it didn't take me long to realize it," the boy began, though he didn't elaborate nor continue on that note. Instead, he glanced quickly towards Kira, and then back towards her, "You know, you really don't have to stick around Azrael here, you're better than that, aren't you? Besides, I would welcome you with open arms, and so would the rest of the school, if you just stopped hanging around Azrael," Athrun explained, smirking all the while and seemingly ignoring the growing rage on the girl's face. "You two…It's just not a very pretty picture," the raven haired boy finished, wetting his lips.

Kira said nothing, and merely glared towards Athrun, though he could feel a slight shaking from the girl's body. A few days ago, the boy would have thought the same, and would have gladly tried to convince Lacus that she should avoid him, but now…He'd grown used to her, close to her, even. He didn't want to lose her so easily now, and though he was afraid to admit it, especially to himself, Kira didn't know what he would do if he did lose Lacus. He'd done the one thing he'd sworn never to do with anyone but his sister: He'd become too attached.

But Lacus was having far different thoughts than Kira. Though she was still very unsettled from events far earlier that morning, and her stomach was tying itself into knots terribly, especially when Kira had embraced her so tightly, she had nearly pushed all of that from her mind. Athrun's words were severely getting under her skin, and were effectively replacing her unsettlement with rage. Her lips were now quivering with the control it took to keep herself from not screaming out at Athrun.

"Come on, Lacus, what keeps you around a deadweight like Azrael anyway? He doesn't seem to be anything special, simply weak and useless if you would just take a good look at him," Athrun taunted, gazing over at Kira with amusement, "Though, I suppose if you're into weak guys with pretty faces, that's your preference," the boy added venomously, though neither boy was expecting the girl to act so quickly or rashly.

Within seconds of his words leaving his lips, Lacus had pulled herself from Kira and stepped around him to take the two steps that lead her straight to the front of the blue haired boy, and Lacus didn't bother to take an easy hit, and instead slid the strap of her school bag from where it hung at her elbow, and brought her bag to her hands before using all her strength to slam her bag into Athrun's side, also hitting his chest, which sent him stumbling back a bit, the surprise causing his eyes to widen.

"Shut up! Don't you dare say anything like that about Kira!" she screamed, effectively grabbing the attention of almost every student in the hallway. "Just shut up!" she screamed again, though her voice cracked and she choked up, coughing slightly after her words. Her rage weakening, and her pent up tears slowly dripping down her cheeks, she felt a bit dizzy, and her cheeks were flushed red. Kira was just as surprised as Athrun, but concern quickly overcame him, and he to move towards Lacus, but Athrun was faster.

Stepping forward and grabbing the girl by her shoulders tightly, the young man threw her against the lockers, ignoring any gasps or calls from the stunned sea of students behind him, and he ignored the fact that Kira was nearly right beside him. Lacus had dropped her bag when Athrun had pushed her, and when her back made contact with the wall of lockers, she had had the wind knocked out of her and a sickening gasp and cough accompanied her shocked and widened eyes. She was shakily trying to move, when Athrun pressed her against the lockers with his hands tightly gripping her arms again. She had cried out when the back of her head made contact with the lockers, but Athrun paid no mind.

"Don't you dare think that I'll let you get away with something like that, you little bitch," Athrun hissed darkly as he pulled a hand back, pausing a moment as though trying to decide whether to slap her or punch her, but before he could even take a single breath, Kira had leapt forward and grabbed his arms, ripping him away from Lacus easily and throwing him to the side.

"Damn it," Athrun hissed, lifting his gaze to send a death glare towards Kira, only to flinch for a moment when he saw the feral look in his narrowed, violet eyes.

It was that same look that Athrun had seen when he, Yzak and Dearka had tried to jump him after school, and Kira had nearly broken his nose. If it hadn't been for his sister interfering, Kira would have broken a lot more than his nose. But he wouldn't let that deter him, the young man decided. Athrun had been made a fool of by that Clyne girl, and now Azrael was about to try and show him up in front of an audience? Oh no, Athrun definitely wasn't about to let either of them get away with that.

Not bothering for pointless words, Athrun rushed towards Kira, his hands balled into fists, and he sent a quick blow towards Kira's face, but he was far more than just simply surprised when Kira brought up a hand and grabbed his wrist just as he was about to hit him. Not letting his shock get the better of him, Athrun growled and sent another quick blow towards Kira's stomach. Kira wasn't as fast that time, and his hand barely brushed over Athrun's arm as his knuckles made contact with Kira's abdomen through his shirt.

Kira quickly doubled over, his eyes wide, and a near silent cry of pain fell from his lips as the wind was knocked out of him from the sudden blast of pain. Athrun used that moment to elbow the brunette in the back, knocking Kira down to the floor. This was usually when Athrun claimed a victory, but he didn't expect Kira to kick at his shin, causing him to stumble back. This gave Kira the time to quickly pick himself up from the floor, and waste no time in hurrying towards Athrun to return the favor of a sound blow to the stomach.

Athrun winced, and made a small noise of pain as he doubled over, clutching at his stomach, and Kira brought up his knee to add to the blow to the other boy's gut. The brunette then pushed Athrun towards the lockers, making the other flinch after the wind was knocked out of him, and Kira slowly stalked towards Athrun, his hands shaking with every step as he came closer to his target. His hands balled up into fists, and Kira was ready to pull his arm back, but a sudden weight on his arm and another arm wrapping around his waist stopped him.

"Stop it, please," he could hear coming from behind him, and Kira could feel Lacus' hand trembling as she clutched his raised arm with her small hand, and tried to keep him from continuing the fight with Athrun. Before she could say another thing, Kira sighed heavily and guiltily lowered his arm, though he couldn't find it in him to turn around and face Lacus. Athrun had regained his breath and footing, though, and glared angrily towards the two, not wanting to stop the fight, till he took one step towards them, and felt a powerful ache in his stomach, that would have caused him to fall if he hadn't pressed a hand against his body to keep himself steady. His emerald eyes were wide in shock, and he stared towards the brown haired boy with masked surprise and utter shock.

Athrun bit down on the inside of his cheek and kept up the glare match he was holding with Azrael, if only to keep up his appearance. But other than that, he wasn't sure he could do much else. Just keeping himself standing was taxing, and the mental turmoil he was in from the sudden outburst of Azrael's was definitely a shock to his system. But before anyone could do much more, the warning bell rang solemnly throughout the halls, alerting the students that there was limited time before they would be marked late for class.

For a few moments, no one moved, but when Kira turned to Lacus, and nodded gently, the two began walking to their first period, the sea of students parting to form a path of sorts, until more students took the hint and began dispersing to their classrooms as well. Athrun simply glared in their direction as they walked to class, his emerald eyes blazing. He wasn't going to let something like this happen again, and he'd definitely get back at Azrael for it. But, he was slightly thankful for the bell, he'd have time to get over the shock of the pain in class, and have time to think.

* * *

Cagalli's cheeks burnt red and her lips were pursed in a fine line, her golden gaze narrowing in suspicion. Holding the rose she'd found in her locker in one hand, she used the other to gently pluck an orange tinted petal from the bloom. The first two days may have been flattering to say the least, but she'd found this flower in her locker yet again, and there was a note taped to it. Afore mentioned note now sat on her desktop, innocently folded. The blonde girl had yet to read it, and she wasn't quite sure that she wanted to. Her curiosity made her drop the rose on the desk, and reach for the paper.

But, as her fingers closed around the paper, and she brought it closer, she opened her hand and fit a nail underneath one of the folded edges, and pulled the paper out of its complicated fold until it was merely a small sheet, folded in half, and still concealing the message. Her gaze nearly burning holes into the paper, she swallowed nervously. About to open the note, the blonde stopped herself suddenly when she felt someone's hand touch her shoulder.

Nearly jumping out of her seat and uttering a few curses, Cagalli clutched the note tightly as she turned to look over her shoulder up at a surprised Katie. The auburn haired girl's eyes were open wide, and a surprised look that matched Cagalli's own fit on her face. "Oh, Cagalli, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed quickly, holding her hands up defensively. "I didn't mean to surprise you, I was only wondering why you seemed to be zoning out," the girl explained, her voice growing a bit weak before she fell into a fit of coughing. It subsided rather quickly, and she smiled apologetically.

"Ah…Katie, no I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that," the blonde answered back, her lips pulling into a nervous grin. "Hey, are you okay?" Cagalli asked curiously, looking up at Katie's flushed face quizzically. It wasn't that Katie had a normal pale complexion before, she'd seemed a bit pale on the day the blonde met her, but today, she looked sheet white, and it only made the circles under her eyes seem more prominent.

"Oh, me? Yeah! Of course I'm fine! Just haven't been getting very much sleep lately," the aqua eyed girl replied sheepishly, looking at the flower on Cagalli's desk with interest. "Hey, did your _secret admirer_ leave that for you? Was there a note?" Katie asked with a giggle, eager to change the subject, or merely just being a girl eager for any sort of romantic news. Cagalli guessed she could give her the benefit of the doubt for now.

"Hm? Uh, oh…" the blonde mumbled, looking back at the forgotten flower with sudden scrutiny. Biting her lip, Cagalli clutched the note tighter in her hand. "Um, no…there wasn't a note," she replied, smiling up at Katie. It wasn't any sort of big lie, so she didn't really have to feel bad about lying to the girl. Cagalli knew she'd have lied to Stellar too, had she been in school that morning hanging around the steps or Cagalli's locker as usual. Shinn hadn't even seen her, so the only explanation was that the other blonde had to be sick. Cagalli glanced to the side, the empty desk beside hers looming gloomily near. "It's not like Stellar to get sick…I wonder what it is?" Cagalli wondered aloud, sighing heavily. Katie smiled weakly and patted her shoulder.

"Well, she's being taken care of right now, and I'm sure she'll get better soon," Katie assured the blonde girl with a strange tone to her voice. Cagalli gave her a skeptical glance before melting into a smile. She nodded, and thanked the auburn haired girl quietly. After a few moments, Katie sat down at her own desk on the other side of Cagalli, and draped her arms over the desktop, leaning forwards and placing her chin on the cold surface. A contemplative look crossed her mind, and her eyes suddenly widened with excitement. Looking over towards Cagalli with a bright smile, Katie reached over one hand to poke her friend's shoulder. "If you're so worried about her, why don't you ask her teachers for her schoolwork to take to her after school? I'm sure she'd appreciate it, and the teachers as well!"

Cagalli brightened quickly, and grinned widely. "That's a great idea, thanks," she replied, sitting up in her chair. The two girls looked up when the classroom door opened and the teacher walked in, a rather peeved expression settled on their face. Announcing for everyone to take their homework from the previous night out, Cagalli stood up quietly with the flower in hand, along with the small paper. Walking along the side of the room so as to not attract attention, she made her way to the garbage can, and stood over it before holding her hand out, ready to drop the stupid rose and the damned note into the trash bin and pretend like they never existed. The final bell ringing and a polite request for her to return to her seat, Cagalli nodded to the teacher, and dropped the items. Falling quietly to the bottom of the can, Cagalli's lips pulled into a simper, a self-conscious smile, and she looked away. Walking back to her seat, she pretended not to notice the slightly odd look on Katie's face, she pretended not to notice that her hands were feeling a bit clammy, and she pretended not to notice that something seemed to be weighing down her back.

* * *

Murrue looked over the students with her usual smile, the usual kind but slightly stern tone, and the same old words seemed to be coming out. Announcing another assignment and explaining another schedule plan for the class. But Kira and Lacus weren't quite paying attention with as much vigor that they usually brought up for schoolwork or to keep teachers guessing about whether or not they were okay. Truth was, they were both tired, and growing more exhausted keeping themselves alert and attentive. It was all they could do to keep their gazes focused on the brown haired woman explaining that the newest assignment required partners, and would last over Thursday and Friday. Research would be done in the library…the usual.

Lacus and Kira glanced at one another with small smiles when Murrue announced that they could pick their partners. The older woman then told everyone to stand, and head down to the library with their partner. Kira and Lacus didn't even have to look at one another before they walked a little closer as they began walking out the doorway with the other students. Murrue was last out of the room, locking the door with a small grin on her light red glossed lips. She hadn't been the least surprised when the two had seemed to silently pick one another. But the woman didn't have time to think little daydreams of romance untainted by the horror and pain that haunted and stuck to the two teenagers that had made her so happy.

The library was quite, and slightly warm, which left it with a nice atmosphere that was perhaps just a bit too calming. Kira and Lacus had gone to a secluded corner, much in the same place they'd been before the last time they'd been working on a project together, for Murrue's class yet again. The girl was preparing their notebooks, turning to clean pages in first Kira's, and then flipping through her own, but it was just as she came to the latest end of her notes, her eyes were caught on a page with scribbles in the margins. Eyes widening, she saw Kira's name written over and over with little spirals and hearts that were all so loopy that it showed it was merely the results of daydream doodling, and her cheeks reddened with warmth as she stared, perplexedly at the embarrassing page.

"Lacus, I found a few books," Kira murmured from behind her, softly spoken as he set the volumes just as softly on the tabletop. "What's wrong?" he asked innocently, looking over to her and noticing the expression on her face. Mild concern plaguing him, he took a few steps towards her and reached a hand out to her forehead, and then feeling her cheek. "You're pretty warm, are you all right?" he asked worriedly, making the girl smile nervously as she quickly flipped the pages in her notebook to a clean page, and then carefully set the book down on the table next to Kira's.

"Oh, yes…I'm fine! I…um, it's just a bit warm in here, is all…" she murmured quietly, not wanting to put any strain on her voice. "Um, how about we get started? I'll take that book," she said, diverting attention from her back to the project. Kira nodded, though he didn't seem all too convinced, and he took a book in hand as well.

But before they sat down, he looked over to the girl and then over towards the nearby wall corner that was bordering by a window on one side. "Hey Lacus, would you rather sit over there?" he asked, indicating the corner, "It'd probably be more comfortable…" he added weakly, trying to convince her, though for the life of him, he really didn't know why. The girl merely smiled, and nodded. She walked over, and sat herself down with her back against one wall, and her right shoulder pressing against the other wall. With her left hand, she patted the carpet beside her, and Kira smiled gently as he walked over. Sitting down beside her, he brought up his legs to prop the book against his knees as he read, and Lacus merely placed her book on her lap, due to the limitations her skirt brought along.

As the two began their reading, Lacus leaned a little closer to Kira, unaware that she was resting her head on his shoulder till nearly five minutes after the fact, when Kira had lifted his hand to turn a few pages. She blushed darkly, but when she glanced up towards his face, she noticed that he seemed almost out of it, absorbed in the reading. Smiling nervously to herself, she placed her head back on Kira's shoulder, moving her face so that her cheek was pressed against the fabric of his blazer, his hair just barely tickling her face, and she took in a deep breath. She could catch the deep smell of the soap he'd used in his shower the night before.

When she'd tried to glance back at her book, the pink haired girl was just a bit surprised to find that the words were blurring and the page nearly disappearing from her vision. Blinking her eyes, she found her eyelids practically begging to be closed once more, and reluctantly complying; found that she couldn't open them again. The warmth of the library and the body beside her was like a blanket and the calm silence and gently breathing of Kira was like a lullaby…and soon the blue eyed girl had fallen asleep.

Kira turned another page, battling with his jaw to keep in a yawn, and sighed tiredly. The library was much too peaceful and comforting a place for him to remain alert…he just couldn't focus on the reading anymore. In fact, searching his brain, he was just a little dumbfounded and amused to vaguely remember what he was reading about. He chuckled gently to himself, and turned to glance over towards Lacus, when his pale violet eyes widened incredibly.

Just now taking notice of the fact that she was leaning against him, he tried to make little movement as he looked down to inspect her face, and whispering her name, and listening to the even breaths, the brown haired boy realized she was asleep. Smiling kindly down at her, Kira tilted his head to the side ever so carefully, hoping not to wake her, and rested his own head against hers, his nose and mouth brushing against the pastel strands of hair. Breathing in slowly, Kira felt a small rippling through his entire body, akin to the numbness he felt just before falling asleep after a particularly painful night, but this was much more comforting. He really didn't want to go back to his book, and the fact that his partner had decided to sleep, well…Kira didn't really want to go back to reading.

Another yawn nearly slipping past his lips, it quickly dissolved into a small sigh that barely left his lips before he closed his eyes, slipping off into the embracing blackness that engulfed his mind into nothing. It was peaceful. The book quietly slipped from his lap, and the book under Lacus' hand shifted slightly, not even remotely disturbing the sleeping girl. Bright, early morning sunlight spilt in through the window, but merely cast its glow on the carpet to the left of Kira, and on his left hand that had fallen to lie on the floor at his side.

* * *

Murrue looked up from the notes one pair was taking, walking away quietly as they began arguing over whether or not a certain fact was needed for their project. The woman had been walking around near silently all this time, looking over her students' progress and either advising or warning a few pairs. Only a few had been lazing around and doing nothing, and for the most part, it looked like the students were trying. It was Thursday, and with Friday just around the corner, many usually began to get antsy, especially if there were certain activities planned. Many teachers didn't look forward to clambering students ready to burst. Though, the woman supposed that the students were simply still tired.

Looking around, trying to pick another pair to look up on, she remembered that she hadn't checked up on Kira and Lacus, and with a small smile, she began walking towards the section she'd seen them slip off to. It was a generally secluded area, lined with bookcases and the wall, and provided a nice place to study and work. Murrue couldn't help recalling a few of her better students often chose that area.

But the woman's surprise when she came up to the opening between two bookcases that provided the entrance to the little niche was definitely a new sight. Though, most surprising, even though most teachers wouldn't hesitate to chastise students for negligent behavior, Murrue couldn't bring herself to wake the sleeping pair. Lifting a hand to her face to stifle a small laugh, the brown haired woman shook her head slowly from side to side. Lacus had been comfortably situated between Kira and the wall, and Kira had been propped against her. It was almost too adorably cliché and sweet a scene to believe, but knowing her students…Murrue rolled her eyes as she turned around.

Walking towards another pair that seemed to be more interested in throwing wadded up paper at one another, Ms. Ramius sighed gently to herself. She really shouldn't be picking favorites…but what would any other teacher do? She snapped at the two boys, who quickly pulled up their books and whined they had been reading. Murrue sighed again. Maybe this was the reason she was a bit reluctant to just get married and have kids already? Though, having a child like Kira…

* * *

Athrun had been having a fucking hell of a day, all because of that damn brat and his bitch. The bluenette was currently in a free period, and eagerly awaiting lunch, if only to reestablish his authority. He hadn't enjoyed the tension in the air after Azrael had nearly attacked him, and then just leave while Athrun was having difficulty merely standing. It had been like pulling the rug out from under his feet. Athrun would admit though, some of his initial anger had calmed, and he was thinking a bit more levelly, but with his few homework assignments he'd already received on the desk in front of him, and no motivation to do them at all, he was exceedingly bored.

Usually, he had Dearka to pass the time with, usually exchanging lewd stories or making jokes of the same nature. Occasionally, they would talk about Yzak and his inability to stay interested in a girl for very long at all, but Dearka always seemed to have some sort of story that could entertain Athrun. But, lately, Dearka hadn't had many stories or interest, and up until the other day, everything had been at least semi normal. But now…emerald eyes looking up across the room, Athrun's lips pulled into a tight scowl. Now, Dearka sat as far away from him as possible, and if the blonde just so happened to look in his direction when Athrun was leering at him, the violet gaze would glare right back.

Athrun was quite mad about that, but he was even more peeved with Yzak's sudden change of demeanor. Sure, his silver haired friend had always been tolerable enough, despite his temper that Dearka and Athrun had learned to get along with…But now the pale featured boy seemed to be off in his own little world, and seemed quite against speaking of anything that had to do with Dearka. Athrun was looking forward to lunch, when he could sit with the blue eyed male, and hopefully hear something interesting.

But…when the boy glanced down at his papers, his mind began to wander out of his boredom, and a certain blonde girl fell into his thoughts once more. That damned brat…why did she have to be Azrael's sister? Not only did he feel just a bit of disgust in himself for taking interest in someone as young as her, but she was also related to someone that Athrun just couldn't stand…

But then that brought on the thought of why Athrun couldn't stand the brunette. Why? Kira was quiet, shy, and kept to himself…So why had the blue haired male singled him out for all the torment he put him through? The boy sat his elbow on the desk, and glared off into space. That was why, that was the reason. Because there really was no reason, Athrun just could. Kira had been too kind, and too distant. Athrun's own violent streak that began when he was young was what compelled him to do a lot of thing, a lot of bad things, not that he really cared or was completely aware of at the time anyway. He'd just seen it as his task to show that "angel" of a boy the unfair cruelties that lingered even in the privileged world and what had amazed the blue haired male was that Kira had said nothing.

It was that fact that seemed to drive Athrun to the edge, waiting for the other to finally break. It wasn't natural…how he never expected mercy, never begged for it. Groaning softly, Athrun rubbed his temples. He didn't like to go into such deep thinking, he had more important things to think about…and on that thought, the young man let his thoughts lift to other matters, such as the party he would probably have on Saturday night, and he even made room for thinking of any blonde girls he knew that resembled Cagalli at all. He'd have to make sure he invited one or more of them, to entertain himself with at the party.

Though, as Athrun was off in his own thoughts, a woman the bluenette recognized as one of the women who'd shown up during his fight with Miriallia and Cagalli, Erica Simmons, opened the classroom door and stepped in to walk towards the teacher's desk. The man glanced up, and nodded to the woman who whispered something to him, and he looked over towards Athrun. "Zala, Ms. Simmons would like to speak with you," he ordered, and Athrun rolled his eyes as he stood from his desk. Walking up to the woman, she nodded to him, and led him out the door. Once the classroom door was closed once more, and the two were alone in the hallway, the woman crossed her arms over her chest.

"Zala-kun, we've sent word to your father and haven't' received a reply just yet, but are you aware that your father contacted us?" she began, seemingly wishing to not be there. Due to Athrun's silence and slightly confused expression, Erica continued on. "Well, not too long ago, your father contacted us, concerned about your grades. He wished to have a tutor arranged for you, and the board has come to a decision finally. We haven't alerted you until now simply due to who was busy," the woman rolled her eyes at this, but continued, glancing at the nails on one hand.

"You will be tutored after school by a classmate of yours. Azrael-kun? But we expect you two to spend at the very least two hours, twice a week with him after school or on the weekends. Azrael-kun will be keeping a documented record on when and how long you're together, and some teachers are willing to simply boost your grade if even a little improvement is made and its evidenced by the work you put into it." Erica had a nearly disgusted expression on her face by this moment, and hadn't noticed the completely shocked expression on Athrun's face.

"You mean…Azrael is going to be my tutor?" Athrun asked, his voice quiet but in a serious tone. He wasn't quite as angry as he was surprised, or enraged with his father. "What do you mean!? Are you saying my father is asking you all to go to the trouble to bring up my grades?" he demanded spitefully. Erica nodded.

"In fact, they're 'rumors' that he tried to bribe your teachers, but none of them would take it. This is the compromise that has been reached. And from what I can tell, Azrael-kun didn't seem quite as excited about this either, but we'd like you two to get in a session before the week is out. Now, Zala-kun, I have to return to the office. I'm sure you can find your classroom without my help?" the secretary asked with a spread of venom in her words. She was obviously no fan of the Zala influence Kurenai Sakura was under, and the only reason she didn't laugh outright was because she's probably get fired. She couldn't exactly afford such an extreme as that, many teachers couldn't. It was easier to just let things go, and do as Creuset or Dullindal asked, as much as they hated it.

As the woman walked away, Athrun was too absorbed in his thoughts to really bother becoming angry with the woman for insulting him, and he was merely mulling over the idea of Kira being his tutor. Well, he could always threaten him to do as he said about that stupid record…though if his grades didn't improve, it wouldn't do for him to explain that one…Then, there was always the element of ongoing torture. Athrun would simply drag out the time, and constantly lash out at the boy. Simple enough, problem solved. He'd exhaust the other easily. A smirk was on his lips as he stepped back into the class room, and he easily ignored Dearka's suspicious gaze. He wouldn't let anything fall out of his favor.

* * *

The lunch period hadn't started long ago, but Cagalli wasn't very interested in eating. Katie had bought a lunch, but she seemed to just be pushing the items along and over her plate. A faraway look glazed over her eyes, and Cagalli was merely spinning a spare quarter she'd borrowed from Katie on the table. It was when Shinn sat down that the atmosphere brightened up some, and Ahmed was just behind. But instead of sitting down immediately, Shinn had reached over to ruffle Cagalli's hair before quickly retracting his hand before the blonde girl could attempt to bite it off.

"Cagalli, are you excited about tomorrow?" Shinn asked cheerfully as he sat back in his seat, squeezing some ketchup out of the condiment bag over his burger.

Katie looked over at him and Cagalli with a curious expression on her face, "What's going on tomorrow?" she asked.

"Damn, Cags didn't tell you already?" Ahmed asked incredulously. "I though girls told each other everything," he teased, though a glare from Cagalli shut him up, and Shinn chuckled.

"No, she's just overly modest, as Stellar would say. Or she'd say you were shy and didn't like all the attention," the dark haired boy added lightly.

Cagalli couldn't help smiling. "You almost made it seem like she was here," she joked, snatching one of the fries off of Shinn's tray.

"Well? What's going on tomorrow?" Katie repeated, mock annoyance in her voice.

"Oh yeah," Shinn said, finally remembering what the girl had asked in the first place. "It's Cagalli's birthday! She's turning fifteen," Shinn added, for the sake of getting that question out of the way.

"Really?" Katie asked, turning to Cagalli with a bright smile. "But, if you're turning fifteen…" the auburn haired girl thought aloud, a bit of confusion on her face.

"The district where Kira and I used to live had an earlier cut back date, so we started school later than most other districts. Kira will be turning seventeen in a few months, too," the blonde explained, a bit of a serene expression crossing her face. She couldn't help it; thinking of such things brought her mind back to their old house in Tureen. She could even recall their mother waving good-bye to them as Kira held her hand while they walked to the bus stop for their first days of school. Kira was in second grade and Cagalli in kindergarten. Those were definitely happier times, she admitted darkly to herself.

"Really? Back where Milly and I lived, there was an earlier cut back dare as well," Katie stated, smiling. "We weren't there for very long, I was going to be going into second grade by time we moved. We were in Duran, where did your family live, Cagalli?" Katie asked curiously.

"In Tureen, it's actually just outside if Duran, if I remember." the blonde added. "That would explain the cut back dates," she added. Katie nodded, but her smile faltered slightly and she stared down with slightly wide eyes at the table top. Bringing a hand to her mouth, she coughed nervously, and gave the other three at the table a small, nervous smile.

"Hey, I'm going to go use the restroom. Excuse me," she said quickly before hurrying out of the cafeteria, leaving three confused friends behind. Cagalli had a troubled look on her face, and Shinn and Ahmed stared with curiosity. But, the boys quickly let it pass; having no reason to doubt a girl's need to use a restroom randomly, or not so randomly, but Cagalli was a bit hard to pull out of her thoughts.

"Hey! Cagalli! Wake up already, will you?" Shinn snapped, mock aggravation in his expression. "Answer me at least before you go zoning out again, 'kay? Now, I was asking you what you want for your birthday." the red eyed boy explained.

Cagalli smirked and leaned her chin in her palm as she placed her elbow on the table top. Swiping another fry, she popped it in her mouth before answering after swallowing, "Can I get a restraining order?" she joked, though Shinn seemed to take it offensively. The blonde sighed amusedly to herself while her friend raved, and Ahmed shook his head.

**All right people, didn't plan to end this here, but I've been working hard, and don't have much time before at least four hours are sapped out of my life due to the horror of…BABYSITTING. So, how happy are you that you've got another chapter to sink your teeth into? And, I had planned on making shorter chapters, but it just didn't work out that way, not with such a long time in between my last update! And, I want to apologize again. Now, next chapter I'll probably make a bit short, so that I can hopefully get it in sooner, but it's my goal to get chapter sixteen up by April 22, and you want to know why, my dear loving, faithful, beautiful reviewers and readers? Because IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!! Yep, on April 22, I'll be turning a sweet, glorious FIFTEEN YEARS OLD! YAY!**

**And, on a note of business, I'll be initiating a time skip soon, probably after next chapter depending on how far I get…but I can guarantee some surprises that some of you may not like, and some things some of you will like. It all depends, but I'll make it my goal to make it great! This story is going to be made a priority of mine again, so I hope I can really mean it when I say more current updates. But, I still hope to get a lot of reviews from you lovely people!**

**So with that, I send you my apologies and love,**

**Sam**


	16. Freedom

For You and I

**For You and I**

First off, as these usually start off, sorry for the late update, but there were some personal issues going on in my life that prevented me from typing this. Secondly, I know I keep rattling off about shorter chapters, but it takes forever for me to find proper closure, so short chapters are probably just an impossible goal for me. And also, I think that you'll be quite pleased with this chapter, despite the horribly constructed part somewhere in the middle…For those of you wishing something "good" would finally happen, well…here you go? Just enjoy the extremely long chapter, all 19,765 words, m' kay?

**Chapter 16 Freedom**

Salt burned her eyes, and bile burned her throat. The cold tiles bit into her knees, and she couldn't help cringing from the thought of all the germs she was touching with her hands. But one can't worry about those things, when there's blood in the toilet and a disgusting mixture of blood and vomit dripping from your lips. Tightening her grip on the toilet seat, the girl clenched her teeth together and hiccupped a painful sob. It wasn't fair. This wasn't fair. But it seemed to get even more unfair when she whimpered as she pushed her body over the porcelain throne and heaved, crying silently in her perfected manor as she added another helping to the bowl.

* * *

His eyes were wide, and he barely breathed, then alone moved a single muscle. He wasn't about to risk disturbing his companion, who'd found a seemingly very comfortable position leaning against him. Swallowing nervously, and ignoring the strange twitch threatening his limbs, pale violet eyes glanced down, and the young man was assaulted, or rather a more pleasant word…bestowed? Maybe…Either way, he was staring into the face of an angel, there was no doubting that.

He could vaguely remember falling asleep after Lacus…Wait, he'd fallen asleep!? During class even! A tiny moment of panic seized him, but he forcefully pushed it out of its place in line on his list of concerns. That wasn't so important as his current situation was. Imagine his surprise when his eyes had fluttered open and he realized that his cheek was touching something warm and soft? And lo and behold, that something soft happened to be the pale pink tresses of a certain Lacus Clyne. So it hadn't been some cruelly sweet and precious hallucination brought on by his sleep deprived mind that Lacus had decided to fall asleep on his shoulder…But as lovely and horrifying as that was, Kira now face a new dilemma, melodramatic or childishly naïve and crazy as it was.

Was Lacus aware of what she'd done? Kira knew she'd been tired, that much had been obvious plain as day, but choosing him as a pillow? It was his own, misguidedly low self esteem that made him wonder what she'd say should she awaken that very second. Would she be mad? Accuse him of something? Or, maybe…_Just maybe_, he could hear a small voice say in the back of his mind, _She did it because she wanted to?_ Kira felt even more distressed. Now his sense of sanity was plotting with his daydreamer of a conscience. Sure, he was pretty sure Lacus liked him enough as a friend, but the boy's lack of any sort of romantic feeling previous was taking its own vicious toll, and the boy was not in a fun predicament.

But his problems were put into the red zone when he heard and felt stirring beside him. But it soon settled, much to his delight, but to his horror, he felt something over his knee, and glancing down, he saw a pale, unmistakable hand belonging only to Lacus resting there. She must have moved it in her sleep…But that thought didn't help Kira any. Swallowing again, he dared turning his head to look at the girl. She'd tilted her head back a bit during her slumber, and her long, pale neck was exposed to the soft light in the library. Being so close, Kira could see the muscles within that throat move with each breath, and he could also see her face quite clearly. The most drawing thing about it, though, was that her lips were turned up in the corners, just enough to show the hinting of a smile.

Feeling a lump form in his throat, and his hands become a few degrees warmer than they were a few seconds ago, Kira felt that he was losing himself again. But his focus was on the girl's lips…though not plump or "luscious" or any of the sort, being a bit on the thin side and possibly looked over easily, Kira found that he liked them just fine. Their color was perfect, their shape perfect…she was perfect. And now, he could almost feel them, and he felt himself lowering his head just enough so that the angle didn't make it painful, and he paused when he felt her skin's warmth nearly touching his own. All thoughts of decency and chivalry and any sort of politeness usually associated with the young man was thrown out the window, perhaps even the one so conveniently close to the two teenagers.

_So close_…His eyes were slowly closing…_Just a little closer_…And her eyelids twitched.

Those little bits that just flew out the window? They came crashing back through, and Kira could have winced feeling the pain when he mentally kicked himself. Pulling back as quickly as he could, he flattened his back against the wall, and only reluctantly watched as Lacus seemed to awaken while suffering from a face that felt as though on fire. The initial twitch was followed by a smoothing of her visage and a fluttering of thick lashes before she parted her lids and gazed out through sleepy eyes.

She pursed her lips as her mind began working itself once more, and she shifted a bit in her position, not quite so eager to be waking up. It had been a nice rest…Peaceful and slightly revitalizing…And even more perfectly so, her rest had been dreamless. How lovely. Coincidentally so, she moved her hand a bit, if only wishing to curl her fingers to help her wake up, but felt fabric other than that of her skirt under her palm. Turning her head, her foggy gaze observed without registering for a moment, but all too quickly did her senses wake up fully, and her eyes widened in silent movie horror. Feeling her breath hitch in her throat, she remembered to close her gaping mouth when she stared up to the boy beside her. If there really was a God…she could almost hear herself pleading, he'd still be asleep.

Lacus wasn't a very religious person, but when she looked up, she felt as if one of her prayers had finally been answered.

Groaning slightly as though waking up from a light nap, the brunette lifted a hand to his face to stifle a yawn, which was near expertly performed, though it was mainly just a way to hide his face. Kira had only a few seconds' time to think of some sort of plan that could save him, and he was under just a bit of pressure once he'd felt the girl's distress, which how he was able to do so was not quite a priority of his to learn just then. So far, judging from the relieved sigh nearly silently rushing from Lacus' lips, his 'pretending to just wake up' was working like a charm.

Grumbling a few incoherent words that resulted in simple mumbling, Kira rubbed at his eyes with his hand, hoping, _praying_, that he wasn't blushing. Daring to pull his hand away, he gave the girl a, hopefully, sleepy looking smile. Using the back of his hand to rub at the corner of his mouth, Kira chuckled softly.

"Oh, sorry…I didn't mean to fall asleep on you," he mumbled, a slightly worried expression slipping through his mask. He hoped the crack wasn't large enough to notice.

"Oh! Um…" Lacus, on the other hand, hadn't the advantage to make a plan, and quickly pulling her hand away from Kira's knee, she ran it through her bangs which in their current un-styled state nearly fell over her eyes. "Well, I fell asleep, too, so it's really no big deal," she said quickly, chuckling nervously as she and the boy averted their gazes from each other.

Picking up her discarded book, Lacus flipped randomly to a page, any page, and stared at it for a few moments with what seemed utter fascination, before glancing sideways towards Kira. There was a little spider of doubt sidling inside her chest, doubt that Kira really didn't seem to have any idea of what she'd nearly done…And seeing him currently tapping his book absently, a slightly far off look in his eyes, and red painted darkly across his face, Lacus felt the spider squeeze something inside her. Furrowing her brow, she quickly turned away and bit her lip harshly, almost wanting to make it bleed.

That thought, though, brought up the disturbing yet fascinating thought of if she did make it bleed, would Kira kiss it better? Feeling a cloud of doom bearing down on her shoulders, Lacus held back groaning. It was the nature of that thought that made her label it as it should be, Disturbing. And yet…Feeling morbid curiosity wishing for her to glance towards the other boy again, Lacus' gaze swept over her book for a moment, only to realize it was upside-down. Lovely.

Kira himself was currently trying to calm himself, after all, he'd passed the test! She didn't seem to know a thing…And yet, why couldn't he stop thinking of the kiss he'd almost stole from her? That in itself made him blush uncontrollably, and mentally dive into lecturing himself of everything wrong with such an act. After all, kisses were supposed to be special, right? That's why girls always made such a big deal about their first kiss…or at least, what he knew of female novel characters. Few guys worried about such things, but with Kira being virginally uninstructed in such ways of the world, he was just as worked out about such a thing as any girl. Would he really want his first kiss to have been a secret, stolen one that he could not think of without feeling guilty or like a cheater?

Biting his lip, the young man couldn't help feeling just that much more hopeless. Chancing a glance, he looked over carefully towards Lacus, and saw that she was currently huddling over her book, her back to him. But just when he was going to look away, he noticed a slight shake in her shoulders. Curiosity struck him, but before either could do anything more, the bell rang, and from their secluded little spot, the could still hear their classmates' sighs of relief and Murrue's particular warning of having the project finished by the end of class tomorrow.

Kira and Lacus were currently locked in their own disbelief that they slept through their entire class period, and glancing down at their empty notebooks, felt blocks of trepidation settling in their stomachs. Turning to each other, and seeing each other's surprised expressions, they were frozen for a few moments. But then, like a break in the ice that they were suddenly walking over, one cracked a smile, and then the other till Kira was laughing quietly and Lacus was covering her mouth to stifle her sudden giggle fit.

Standing, Kira held his book and notebook in one hand, and held the other out to Lacus. She smiled softly, just a bit of embarrassment still evident on her face, but she took his hand nonetheless. Of course, unknown to the other, both couldn't help the strange and sudden urge to tear themselves away from the other's touch while finding that they only wanted that person to touch them again and again, never letting go. Kira's hand gripped the girl's tightly, and Lacus didn't mind a bit, or pay much notice to the fact that his palms were just a bit warm.

After the brunette had pulled the pinkette to her feet, their hands disconnected in a complicated manner, with their skin sticking to one another and their fingers getting in the way every time one tried to move their hand that or this way. Twin blushes powdered their cheeks, and Kira looked down to the side while rubbing the back of his head. Lacus pretended to stifle a cough with her knuckles held to her lips.

"Ah…um…I'm sorry about…the uh, project," Kira stumbled, "But um…How about I check out these books, and we can work on it for homework, and compare and combine our notes for the final product tomorrow?" he suggested, getting a quick '_Sure'_ from the girl as she handed her book over. But when Kira went to take it from her hands, their fingertips touched just barely, and they nearly jumped at the shiver than ran down their spines.

"Okay, that sounds fine!" Lacus agreed, smiling nervously as she held her hands behind her back for a few moments, twisting her fingers worriedly. While she tried to find something else to stare at, the girl eyed the table where their schoolbags were placed, and a thought entered her head in just the nick of time. "I'll take our bags to our next class! It wouldn't be fair to make you carry both books and your bag," she added hastily, already walking towards the table.

Kira nodded, and was a bit surprised at the speed in which she seemed to take off at, but he wasn't really all that taken aback. He himself wanted to run to the other side of the world and dig himself into a nice dark hole…But a small thud brought his attention to the floor, where his pen had fallen to from the rings in his notebook.

Bending over to pick it up, Kira's gaze strayed ahead of him, and came to rest on a notebook. Eyes quickly widening in recognition, his lips parted just a bit and he stood up, pen in hand. Walking over towards the opened notebook, Kira bent forward to pick it up as well, knowing it to be Lacus'. He wasn't all too curious as to her reasons for forgetting it; after all, she was in such a hurry. Smiling cheerfully, Kira stood with a bit more calm. When he returned it, she'd surely be happy to get it back.

Ready to turn the pages to close the book, Kira didn't have the intention of reading her notebook or anything of the sort. No, he hadn't planned on any such thing, but when the page before the one devoid of the notes they were supposed to have taken was flipped, Kira's good intentions were forgotten, and his eyes stared disbelieving down at the page.

Holding the notebook limply in his hands, Kira gazed down at the clumsy penwork on the paper, his eyes following every loop and curl slowly. His expression hid his reaction, but it was more along the lines of a blank visage. But then, with just a bit of effort, the corners of his lips turned up, just slightly, his body almost felt enveloped in a warm sensation, and the soreness he felt in his body seemed to numb. His eyes were glossy, and with care, he closed the notebook.

* * *

Miriallia pulled her hand away from her lips, pursing her lips in a frown and glaring ahead up at the clock hanging on the wall in front of the room. Tapping her nails against the top of her desk, the girl couldn't help shifting in her seat every few seconds. The clock had to be conspiring against her, right? It was just going too impossibly slow! Growling near silently in her desk, Miriallia slumped forward slightly, willing time to pass faster. But before she knew it, her hand was back up and she was biting her nails again.

Giving in despondently, Miriallia didn't bother trying to take back her hand. She may have been holding up her usual tough appearance at school, at least she hoped, but in all honesty, she was a near basket case. She was too worried about her sister to really be focusing on her school work, even if it was her favorite class. Of course, she couldn't focus too well in Badgiruel's science class anyway, not with Dearka Elthman sitting behind her.

She tried not to let her attention slip during class, ever since that one day, but despite her best efforts, it still happened. And with Natarle Badgiruel loving to show off her "prized pupil," Miriallia was often chosen to answer questions she hadn't been paying enough attention to know they'd been asked. But then Dearka would swoop in to save the day with his near silent whispered repetition of the question, and Miriallia's otherwise brilliant mind would provide the answer. Milly couldn't really decide if she was anxious for the blonde boy to start teasing her for not paying attention, or if she was thankful that he wasn't. One could suppose not knowing the answers to _When_ or _If_ was the cause of her irritation.

Either way, her mind was currently trying to wrap itself around too many things at once, and she desperately wanted to get out of this classroom. The only problem there was the clock on the wall that refused to give into her wishes, and now she was resorting to taking her frustration out on her nails that had never been all too pretty to begin with. Aqua eyes glanced up at the clock another futile time, and the girl held back the volcano of bubbling, unreasonable anger, along with a loud groan of exasperation.

But Miriallia's mind was suddenly ripped away from the time and brought elsewhere due to a sudden burning, stinging pain that was one hell of a bitch for the small size that the source was. Pulling her hand away from her lips, the girl glanced down, wincing, at her index finger. Pursing her lips and wanting to groan again, she stared down at the remains of her nail and tried to assess the damage.

The nail was a bit below her fingertip, and the outer edges were, as suspected of a nail biter, quite uneven and jagged. But her accursed teeth had somehow caught the nail and ripped it down the middle just a bit. She knew it could heal pretty quickly, maybe just a day or so for the rip to heal, but it would take weeks for her nails to grow back out to any sort of normal length. Frowning in annoyance, she lifted her finger to her mouth, and pressed it against her lips just enough to let her tongue slip through and lick at the damage, a bit of a coppery taste tingling her tongue.

Though, just when the girl was least expecting it, the glorious sound of the bell sounded through the classroom, and almost immediately followed by the sounds of chairs scraping the floor tiles and shoes rushing to leave the classroom. Miriallia was currently stuck between being thankful, or wanting to murder the clock. Pulling herself up to her feet, she took her schoolbag and was about to unceremoniously shove her things on the desk into said bag, when two other students, both boys, walked past and shoved into someone behind her, coincidentally bumping into her and causing her to push her things off of her desk, and drop her schoolbag to the floor. For good measure, one of the boys snickered and kicked her bag under a few desks a bit away from the girl.

Biting down on her tongue to keep from screaming at the two boys, and clutching her desk with white knuckled hangs to keep from mauling them, Miriallia glanced angrily towards the front of the room, looking for their teacher in hopes that the woman could do something. But finding the front of the room devoid of a dark haired woman with a terrible temper, Miriallia wanted to hit herself with something hard. She could have jumped those two jerks anyway, Badgiruel wasn't even around.

Glancing down dejectedly at her things, Miriallia just let her anger go, as well as she could, and knelt down to start picking up her things. She was too busy wallowing in her own thoughts, she failed to notice her company till she reached for one of her fallen pens, only for someone else's hand to touch hers. Looking up quickly, just a bit surprised, Milly felt her insides begin to burn and her lips wishing to pull into a sneer. Of course Dearka would have to be there when she'd failed to defend herself, in as much as a hopeless situation it had been. But…that begged the question of why the boy was there anyway.

"Sorry," he mumbled absently, his eyes not meeting hers. Miriallia stared, just a bit confused as the blonde turned his attention to something else on the floor. Miriallia was ready to snap at him when he picked her notebook up, but she stopped herself, noticing the color. She didn't have any green notebooks…Looking down across the floor, Miriallia noticed a few other things dropped along the tiles, and knew they definitely weren't hers.

"Oh…" she murmured softly, blank expression clouding her face. '_So he was the one those guys bumped into, then…I was just standing in their way,_' the girl thought to herself. Sniffing sharply, she turned away and began picking up her other things, a hard frown crossing her lips. Like she cared at all! As far as she was concerned, if Dearka was being bullied, he deserved every second of it.

Awkward silence passed between them, and Miriallia felt that there was some sort of tension between them that she could almost touch. It only bothered her because it made the entire situation uncomfortable. Of course, things just became more discomforting when she reached for a textbook at the same time Dearka did, and she accidentally jammed her fingers against the edge of the cover trying to avoid touching his hand.

"Damn it!" she cursed quietly, feeling her hand cringe from the volt of pain that ran down from her abused fingertips. What's more, Dearka reached forward and grabbed her wrist, yanking her arm a bit as he brought her hand closer to his face. When the girl saw his wide eyed stare, she felt her heart skip a beat in worry, and she wondered if the other could actually see any of the scars-

"What the hell happened?" Dearka asked suddenly, bringing his other hand to gently grip the middle of Miriallia's fingers so that he could look at them more easily. "Your nails are completely mutilated," he murmured, looking them over with a bit of morbid interest, and a bit of curiosity and worry.

Miriallia felt a bit of relief rush through her, but she quickly yanked back her hand anyway. There was no reason he needed to be touching her at all…Though she couldn't help having noticed how slim his fingers were, despite them being a bit on the rough side. Turning her head, Miriallia scoffed and frowned.

"I was biting my nails, so what?" she snapped, glaring at the tiles on the floor.

"Why? Doesn't it hurt?" Dearka asked, not curiously, but more out of a carefully concerned sort of tone…almost as though choosing his words carefully.

"…Just a bit…" Miriallia replied, hesitating a few moments before giving her answer. She didn't really feel any sort of wish to tell Dearka anything, then alone appease his curiosity about her, but for some reason, she just did. Glancing back down at the textbook, she frowned slightly when Dearka lifted it from the floor. "That's mine," she snapped, though it wasn't quite as rude or sharp as she usually would have said something to the blonde.

Dearka raised an eyebrow at her, and lifted the cover of the book, grinning amusedly, not smugly, when Miriallia noticed that the latest name on the column of previous book owners was his. Feeling a bit of heat in her cheeks, the girl quickly turned from Dearka, and set about picking up the rest of her things. Any longer spent there with Dearka was surely going to drive her crazy.

But just as Miriallia had collected most of her pens and her notebooks, all placed in her lap, she was rather startled to feel something on her shoulder, and stood up in her surprise, spilling her things across the floor once more.

"Aw, damn it!" she cried out in frustration, turning to look over her shoulder and glare at the offender. Dearka, who was still kneeling on the floor, was looking up at her with wide eyes. "What!?" she demanded, making the boy flinch.

Holding up a pen in his hand, Dearka grinned, "I was just going to ask you if this was yours. I wasn't sure really, but I thought I might have had one like it or something…You seem mad about something?" he teased, though his grin fell when Miriallia stood looming over him, eyes narrow and fists shaking. Dearka swore he could almost already taste blood from a split lip, but then with a bit of tilting his head to the side, his smirk rose back up and he looked up at Miriallia with a boyish gleam in his eye.

"I wonder if your bra's bright blue, too?" he pondered amusedly, watching as the girl's face reddened to almost the same shade as her skirt. But whereas Dearka had thought his little plan would embarrass Miriallia enough to make her lose her anger and trudge off to sulk. But no, instead, he had poked the lion, and now he was going to pay.

Setting back to her task of picking up her things once more, Miriallia was rather satisfied to have Dearka crouched a few feet away, holding his cheek and nose while grumbling to himself. Nonetheless, she settled back on the task at hand. She really had to get her things and hurry to her next class. Luckily Badgiruel had her free period after Mir's science class, so she didn't have to worry about students coming in early. There was still the annoyance of Dearka, but she was trying very hard to ignore his presence. Finally getting most of her things, she stood, and looked around the floor for where her bag had been kicked to. Retrieving it, the auburn haired girl dropped her things inside and set about picking up the last few articles. Grabbing a notebook, she flipped the cover to make sure it was hers, and placed it in her bag which had become its regular weight again. Glancing at the clock absently, Miriallia's eyes widened and she cursed under her breath.

Turning to look over her shoulder, Miriallia opened her mouth when she spotted Dearka. "See ya," she began to say, but quickly shut herself up upon realizing what she was doing. Turning briskly, she skirted out of the classroom, intent on making it to her next class in time, and hoping to forget about Dearka.

Meanwhile, the blonde was sitting on the ground staring after her curiously, a notebook clutched in his hand. He'd been about to call after her to wait, but his violet eyes flickered back to the red cover of the notebook. Pursing his lips, Dearka flipped it open once more and ignored the first page where its owner's name was printed in her neat handwriting, along with the class title of 'Science.' Flipping through a few pages, Dearka grinned. "Miriallia definitely knows how to take notes…" he murmured to himself quietly, standing up and grasping his schoolbag in his free hand. '_Well, she won't be realizing this is gone for awhile…and while I still have it, it wouldn't hurt if I copied some of her notes…_' the boy thought amusedly to himself, tucking the notebook into his schoolbag as he left the room. He would give it back to her, _eventually_.

* * *

Walking through the hallway, Cagalli was absentmindedly eyeing the locker numbers, figuring how close she was to her own. She wanted to drop off the books she didn't need in her locker as well, and get the things she'd need for her next two classes to keep from having to come back. Shinn was going to meet her at her locker to walk with her to their next class, and she didn't want to make him wait. He was annoying when he had to wait, and he knew of it too. The accursed boy also liked to exploit the fact that Cagalli was easily annoyed by his antics, and she wasn't in much of a mood.

Katie hadn't come back till the near end of lunch, and when Shinn had asked if she wanted any of his leftover fries, she'd paled and laughed it off, saying she didn't want to get fat. Cagalli guessed she was the only one between her and the boys who noticed Katie's discomfort. The blonde had suggested she go to the nurse or something if she wasn't feeling well, but Katie had brushed it off, asking if Cagalli had any gum.

Sighing, Cagalli stopped at her locker, and began dialing the combination. Upon unlocking it and opening her locker, the girl was about to take a book out of her bag when she noticed out of the corner of her eye a flash of green. Eyes widening with a bit of curiosity, she turned her head, and had to think for a moment, her mind trying to replace red with white. But sure enough, the girl pieced it together to realize who it was that was walking in her direction.

Smiling, Cagalli closed her locker some and stepped back, lifting her arm in a friendly wave. It was the transfer student, and by the looks of it, he'd gotten his Kurenai Sakura uniform, and this time didn't have any annoying red head hanging off his arm. "Hey!" the blonde called out, wondering if he didn't see her.

But much to Cagalli's surprise, when the boy's hazel gaze fell across her, a slightly surprised expression crossed his face and he looked away, seemingly intent on walking past her. Incidentally, he changed his direction and seemed to quicken his speed, his schoolbag clutched tightly in one hand. Raising an eyebrow, Cagalli shut her locker, pressing the lock absently and hurried after the boy. Maybe she was mistaken? '_Highly unlikely,'_ she retorted back to herself.

Coming up just behind him, she reached forward and grasped the fabric of his sleeve by his elbow, tugging gently to get his attention. "Hey, I'm not the plague ya' know," the blonde girl joked, smiling just a bit curiously at him when he turned to face her. The girl noted with growing curiosity that his hand clutching his schoolbag was doing so with white knuckles, and he was eyeing her hand, still clutching his sleeve, with just an ounce of…fear?

"Oh, it's you," he mumbled, smiling albeit just a tad nervously. "I didn't notice you were there Cagalli, sorry," he added, his captive arm slowly pulling against her hold. Of course, his tone was apologetic and polite enough, but Cagalli couldn't help letting it show on her face that she wasn't buying it.

'_Bullshit…_' she thought silently, though she smiled back cheerfully enough anyway. Playing along wouldn't hurt. "Oh, that's all right," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "You know, I never caught your name," she began, her lips pulling up into a grin as she stepped a little closer, ready and just as willing to use any sort of force to get the other boy to stop acting like a criminal in the hold of a police officer who wasn't quite aware. She had no problem putting Shinn in his place, why not this boy whom she'd known for the expanse of not very long at all and was still out of the know of just exactly who he was?

A warning bell rang overhead, alerting students they still had two minutes to get to their classes before they were late. The green haired boy sighed quietly in relief, and tugged his arm away from the girl. "Um, I really need to get to class. I'll talk to you later, kay Cagalli?" he asked, smiling nervously again. Cagalli was about to do something rash out of her growing annoyance, but luckily, or unluckily depending on how you viewed the situation, a voice broke through the crowd, and a black haired boy along with it.

"Cagalli! C'mon, I can't be late again or I'll get detention!" Shinn whined as he drew closer, roughly pushing against any students in his way as though they were nothing.

Cagalli sighed when she glanced over at him, but was rather surprised when the green haired boy pulled away, and set off into the crowd as though being chased. "Huh?" she questioned audibly, staring after him in a confused state. When Shinn came up to her, he grabbed the collar of her blazer and began dragging her with him in the opposite direction towards their own classes.

The blonde girl was deaf to his ramblings and annoyances, her golden eyes still on the boy as he ducked in and out of the thick crowd in the hallway. She merely mumbled a few words to Shinn, not really sure what she was saying, but again not really sure of what he was saying either. She watched the boy pause for a few moments outside of a niche in the hallway for the entrances into the restrooms for that hall, and throw something into the trashcan placed against the wall between the two entrances. He then carried on his way, and Cagalli lost sight of him.

Pulled out of her thoughts by Shinn, Cagalli glanced over her shoulder to him, asking what he just said. The boy rolled his eyes and sighed, giving a playfully rough tug on her blazer collar before letting her go. "I _asked_," he began, just a bit irritably and stressing his words, "Who is that guy?" the boy's ruby gaze rested on Cagalli while she walked just a step behind him, a thoughtful expression clouding over her face. Tapping a finger against her chin, she raised her eyebrows and turned to look back at her friend.

"I dunno."

Glaring flatly at the girl, Shinn turned away grumbling to himself, followed by an exceptionally cheerful looking Cagalli. Though just as they were about to duck down into the branching hallway that their classroom resided in, she paused only for a moment to glance over her shoulder curiously. Seemingly satisfied, she shrugged her shoulders and hurried after Shinn – she most certainly couldn't suffer being late again either.

* * *

Lacus was currently in a state of panic. And not the kind that was easily resolved with a deep breath and a glass of water downing a sleeping pill. Digging through her bag once again, thumbing through the notebooks, and even cracking the old textbooks to see if a miracle had happened, the long haired girl was sent into ragged despair once again that made her knees quake and her hands shake. Her notebook was gone, and not one just simply filled with class notes that would help study for a test. It was the worst book that could have gotten lost, and the girl was lamenting over not having ripped out the one accursed page when she'd foolishly created it.

Running trembling fingers through her already mused and messy hair, the girl couldn't help the headache making her head feel like someone was hammering into it. This stress, piled with all of the thoughts that had run through her mind in the library, and then again shoveled on top of the numerous troubles still haunting her from last night, along with have little sleep, the girl was a mess – to say the least.

The only explanation was that she'd left it in the library. And the fact that she might be able to slip back after class to try and find it was no comfort, since surely someone might walk through there, and see an open notebook lying on the ground. Worse yet, Kira was there a bit longer than she, what if _**HE**_ was the one to find it!?

Biting her lip to keep her from whining or making any other sort of noise akin to complaining and worrying, Lacus shuddered. What if he flipped through the pages? What if he saw the page? What if he…What if…

Lacus rested her forehead on the desk, wishing she had the willpower to suddenly smash her skull against the hard desktop. She might hit it just hard enough to knock her out for a bit. Then she could go to the nurse's room and stay there – lights out – and simply avoid Kira for the rest of the day. But then she realized that Kira would be worried sick about her, then alone if he heard the cause had been her own doing. Then he just might think she was crazy. '_For entertaining such thoughts, I might already be…_' the girl thought miserably to herself.

A sudden scrapping of a chair on floor tiles alerted the girl to the presence beside her, and she looked up startled, eyes wide. But the center of her troubles was all she could see for a moment. The purple cover of a familiar spiral notebook was the center of her vision, until she glanced beyond and noticed the matching purple gaze of the boy who just a moment ago had been the center of her thoughts. "K-Kira…" she murmured uncertainly, her voice an almost hushed whisper and her brows knit in reluctance to keep his gaze.

But the boy merely lifted an amused eyebrow, and sat down gingerly in his chair, being careful not to aggravate any sort of sore spot on his body that no one could possibly be aware of. In his hand still resided the notebook, innocently being held out to its proper owner, her name written in beautifully spiraled cursive lettering.

"I noticed it on the floor in the library, you might want to be more careful with your things," the brunette joked playfully, smiling gently. Lacus nodded absently, the action muted to just a simple and small movement of her head as she hesitantly reached out to take back her book.

"Um…Kira, did you…" the girl struggled to say, her cheeks flushing slightly before she glanced down to stare at the notebook in her hands, not wanting to look him in the eye. '_Did you read it?_' she wanted to ask, but couldn't bring the words forth. Her throat was dry, her tongue frozen, and her lips sealed together.

"All right students, get our your notes! We'll be taking a look into the set of government in France in the 1700's!" the teacher suddenly exclaimed, clear agitation in his voice but the reason so far unknown. "And don't any of you slack off or give reason to annoy me, or there will be an extra homework assignment! None of you should want to end up like last period…" the man warned, also giving explanation for the weary faces on a few of the past period's students.

Lacus wasn't sure whether she should be thankful or more worried, but the words she seemed to have dreaded asking Kira were lost on her tongue as she pulled out another notebook, flipped to a clean page while warily glancing out of the corner of her eye to the boy beside her, and readied herself to take notes. Kira, to her relief, was going about things as usual, though she was rather surprised when he glanced over in her direction and gave a small smile.

Eyes widening, she wondered what he might mean by it, and felt the shaky feeling returning to her hands. An assortment of scenarios began cascading into her already stressed head, and Lacus almost began running her hands through her hair again when she felt an electrifying shock run through her hand. Jumping slightly in her seat, she sat up straight and looked down at her hand on the desk, where she noticed the retreating hand of Kira as he seemed to recoil from touching her.

He noticed her surprised expression, and smiled apologetically, "Sorry, didn't mean to make you jump," he whispered quietly as the lights in the classroom flickered off. Lacus glanced momentarily towards the front of the room where their teacher was fumbling with the overhead projector, no real help coming from the students seated around that area. Her eyes were instantly drawn back to Kira though, and saw he was plucking the fabric around the wrist of his blazer. "Are you all right? You seem a bit…anxious," he inquired, his eyes soft and his tone hushed. His expression was…soothing.

"Oh, just a little tired…" she lied, bringing up a small smile. She wouldn't try to fake a yawn – that would just be a bit too pathetic. Kira's lips fell into a small, concerned frown, and his gaze flickered away from her for a moment. Looking back to the girl, Kira noticed she was staring deeply down at the desktop, her eyes clouded over in thought, and her brow furrowed. Leaning a bit to the side in his desk, the boy tapped her gently on the shoulder, causing her to look back at him with another deer-caught-in-headlights look. She really was jumpy.

"Lacus, how about you take a quick nap or something? He'll be too busy up there to notice anyway, and we're pretty far back even if he does look over here," the brunette boy suggested.

The girl shook her head slowly, and smiled weakly, "I need the notes, I'm not quite so great with European government policies," she explained, shrugging her shoulders. This only made the boy harden his gaze just a bit, and he grinned.

"Well then, give me your notebook. I'll take the notes for you, if you don't mind or anything," he added quickly, smiling again.

Lacus' eyes widened, and she hesitated. Glancing up at the front of the room, she saw that the teacher had finally gotten the overhead working, and was putting up the first slide. It was just a bit blurry, but that was quickly alleviated by rubbing her eyes for a moment. Sheepishly smiling back at the boy, Lacus looked back down at her paper. "I couldn't ask you to do that, Kira," she began, but felt Kira's eyes on her, making her look him in the face.

"You're not asking, I'm offering," he corrected, grinning. "Please?" he asked after a moment, making the girl paused. With a heavy sigh, Lacus handed him her notebook, just a bit hesitantly, despite knowing that there were only notes within it. Kira took it and set it down beside his, though before he opened it, he turned to her once more. "First clean page? Or do you just continue off from another page?" he asked curiously. Lacus agreed with the former, and Kira nodded, flipped through the pages absently till a fresh page appeared.

The boy was unaware of the intense stare Lacus was giving him, that or he wasn't going to acknowledge it. He then set about taking notes. First glancing up at the front of the room, and then down at the notebooks, filling in the information quickly. The girl felt a small, hopeful smile tugging at her lips. He couldn't of seen it, not if he was so uncaring of the contents of her notebook. Not to mention he wasn't acting any different, and it was easier to just settle with him not seeing it. It just made the whole situation easier to deal with. Lacus watched Kira's hand as he wrote, wondering if his handwriting was just a bit messy from his speed. But rubbing her eyes and sitting up to see for only a moment, she saw his handwriting was, though small, nice and neat.

"Go to sleep Lacus," Kira whispered softly, glancing up from his work for only a moment. "If he looks over or hands out a worksheet, I'll wake you," he assured her, smiling softly all the while. The girl nodded absently, suddenly feeling all of the weariness from all her worry crashing behind her eyes. Resting her arms on her desk, she leaned over and rested her forehead on her arms. That felt good. Adjusting so that she was comfortable, she felt pleasant numbness crawling up from her toes and fingers to her head. Closing her eyes, the image of Kira stuck behind her lids, that was the topping on the cake.

She was gone before the teacher had a chance to put the second page up.

* * *

Miriallia took in a deep breath of slightly humid, but nonetheless warm and fresh air. Her back was against the tree in the school yard, her lunch – a ripe and round peach – sitting in her hand. She wasn't really all that hungry, if anything, her stomach hurt just a bit and she became queasy from the thought of food. Glancing over her shoulder, she scanned the yard, wondering when Kira and Lacus would be showing up. The lunch bell had rung not long ago, barely five minutes maybe, and they were usually here first. Tossing the fruit up and down carefully, Miriallia watched it absently.

It took her a moment to realize that the peach was no longer in her hand to make Miriallia fall out of her thoughts. Looking at her empty hand, and then glancing around the grass, she was confused for a moment. A chuckle from above alerted her to company, and Miriallia looked up with narrowed eyes and pursed lips. Glaring up at the blonde, the girl raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"What now Elthman?" she snapped, her tone clearly showing her distaste for him being so close. She didn't want him anywhere near her, then alone in the spot she ate lunch at.

"No need to be so cold. You looked lonely over here by yourself, so I came to give you some company," he answered with a shrug, leaning against the tree casually, tossing the peach arrogantly up high before catching it, and repeating the process. Miriallia watched him toss it for another moment, but her expression clearly stated she was not amused.

"Give it back," she ordered, holding out her hand and staring at him expectantly. The blonde smirked, and shook his head. Miriallia frowned. "Then leave." Dearka grinned.

"Does that mean I get to stay if I give it back?" he questioned, still tossing the fruit. Miriallia glared and Dearka was amused to see one of her eyes twitch just the slightest bit. She wasn't really scary, if that was her goal. In fact, she was achieving the exact opposite. She looked rather cute when she was angry, this the boy was noticing for the second time. "You look about as feral as a mouse, Kitten," Dearka teased, enjoying the anger bubbling behind the aqua eyes.

Though just as Miriallia was about to retort with something not quite so pleasant, two familiar faces made themselves visible beside Dearka. Kira glanced between the two of them with only a small frown when he noticed Miriallia's obvious anger. Lacus was eyeing Dearka curiously and warily at the same time, seeming to take a small almost unnoticeable step away from Kira.

"Mir, I asked Dearka if he wanted to sit with us during lunch today," Kira ventured, his tone just a bit cautious, but he didn't flinch when Miriallia turned her glare on him. Of course, it wasn't as furious as she'd held it looking at Dearka, but shock and just a but of annoyance was being dealt in Kira's direction.

"Why?" she was able to ask, not wanting to snap at Kira, though in all honesty, she'd had no say in that decision and she was quite unhappy with it.

"They just happened to pass me in the hallway, and Kira asked me. It's not like it was planned or anything, so don't be mad at him, Kitten," Dearka explained quickly, his smirk unmoved. He rather liked the look on Miriallia's face when he used that little nickname. It made her angrier than insulting her had ever done, anyway. "So, since it is lunch and I'm the guest, I say we sit down and eat," the blonde chirped, smirking evilly towards Miriallia as he sat just in front of her.

Kira gave Miriallia a slightly apologetic smile before settling down one the grass, struggling to find just the right way to sit without pressing into a bruise. Lacus sat against the tree, almost just beside Miriallia, and her hand nervously pressed the creases out of her skirt as her pale blue eyes hesitantly stared over towards Dearka.

The boy glanced up, feeling eyes on him, and he grinned amusedly over towards her. Lacus felt her heart skip a beat, and almost felt just that much more of a nervous ache in her chest. He remembered, he _knew_. Dearka knew that Lacus liked Kira, and he was sitting not three feet from the boy. Lacus quickly looked away, and settled on staring down at the grass.

"You know, I thought people were supposed to eat during lunch hour," Dearka quipped, grinning with amusement while he tossed the peach again. "Are any of you going to, I don't know…Eat?" he asked curiously. Lacus kept her eyes on the ground, and Kira looked up at the tree, biting the side of his cheek. Miriallia merely glared, and sneered.

"Well, I had a peach but then you had to come and touch it. I don't think I'm hungry anymore," she replied curtly, making Lacus look up from curiosity, and giggle. Kira was smiling gently, and glancing between the blonde and Mir.

"In that case…Here, catch." Dearka replied, tossing the peach over to Miriallia, who struggled just a bit to catch it. Frowning at it with just a bit of disgust, she glared at Dearka and tossed the fruit back over, though her aim was off and it went in Kira's direction. The brunette caught it out of reflex, staring down at it confusedly at first while Lacus held back a small laugh. "Kira can have it," Mir stated airily, turning her head in the other direction while Kira lifted an eyebrow.

Tossing it to the side, he said a quick, "No thanks," and Dearka was once again holding the fruit that he'd somehow made a pariah. Shrugging, he grinned and tossed it over to Lacus, who was a bit surprised but caught it nonetheless.

"What about you, Princess?" Dearka asked. "You like 'em?" he questioned, making the girl freeze for a moment. Her cheeks seemed to flush for a moment, and she pursed her lips, quickly tossing it back to Dearka as though it had burned her. Dearka caught with an amused grin, and tossed it in the air.

"What?" she asked, just a bit of a stammer in her voice.

"I asked if you liked them," Dearka repeated, "Peaches," he held the fruit back out and Lacus stared at it for a moment, before Dearka shrugged and brought it back to him. His violet eyes were on Lacus, and she couldn't help shifting in her spot. She'd thought for sure what he'd asked sounded like 'You like _him._' Dearka sighed and leaned back on one arm, tossing the peach up into the air again.

"My mom can make a pretty good pie with peaches…" he said suddenly, staring up at the sky between the branches of the tree. "But she put almonds in it one time for a party, and didn't think to tell me. I ended up spitting it out on my dad's new suit, and she wanted to ground me for it, but it was obviously her fault. Wouldn't you say?" he asked, looking back to the others. Lacus was smiling, and Miriallia seemed to have lessened her glare.

"How old were you?" Kira asked, a bit of a laugh behind his words.

Dearka smirked as he looked back up and gave the peach a toss. "I was fourteen," he admitted in a rather proud tone, bringing Kira and Lacus to laugh. A careful glance at Miriallia alerted the blonde that the girl sitting across from him wasn't frowning, though she wasn't necessarily smiling.

"Yeah, well…When I was seven –" Miriallia countered, giving Dearka a look as though saying her story would be better, she went on to tell a story.

The rest of the lunch hour passed by, stories from years ago and usually involving some sort of embarrassing event were shared. Lacus and Kira didn't seem to have too many to share, and Lacus' usually involved her father, while Kira's were even fewer, though he mentioned his mother once. Dearka's were by far the more childishly mischievous and devious, though Miriallia had a few that could counter him.

Dearka had tossed the peach during the storytelling, and somehow it had passed around the group a few times. It was when Miriallia was catching it that it hit the edge of one fingertip, and she murmured '_Ouch'_ accidentally that caught the attention of Lacus and Kira. Lacus reached forward for Miriallia's hand, asking what was wrong when she saw the state that her nails were in.

"Miriallia, you're nails…" Lacus murmured, holding the other girl's hand with care as Kira leaned forward, curiosity in his eyes. "That has to hurt," Lacus added, glancing up at Miriallia to catch her eyes, which were avoiding the other girl's gaze. The short haired girl gently took her hand back and tossed the peach over to Dearka, shrugging casually.

"Not really," she replied, leaning back against the tree, and crossing her arms, keeping her hands out of sight by hiding them in her elbows. The small group became quiet, Dearka's expression just a bit serious as he stared at her, and Lacus just a bit worried, as with Kira. Lacus was just a bit more worried as the flash of a memory passing behind her eyes. Just the smallest remembrance of the hair thin white scars she'd seen on Mir's wrists not long ago. It was silly to think that nail biting had anything in relation to something like…cutting…Lacus' hand subconsciously tugged on her sleeve, pulling it just a little lower. But Lacus hadn't seen someone bite their nails so low. She knew it was silly, but at the same time…

"It looks like a storm is coming," Miriallia spoke up suddenly, her eyes stuck on the sky. The others glanced up, and agreed. The clouds were rolling in, and the entire courtyard was covered in shade. The air was just a bit more humid, and the clouds were darkening on the horizon. There was a small wind, not quite a breeze, but not really all too bothersome either, and it blew cool air into their faces.

At that moment, the school bell rang, and the four glanced over towards the school. Miriallia sighed slightly as she stood, offering a hand to Lacus, who hesitated a moment before taking it and standing up herself. Kira tapped Lacus on the shoulder, and said in a quiet voice to wait for a moment, and he waved goodbye to Miriallia and Dearka. Miriallia nodded, and Dearka grinned, lifting his hand in a sign of farewell.

Turning, Kira began walking back towards the school with Lacus right beside him, walking just a bit closer than she usually did. Neither seemed to notice, and if they did, they didn't seem to want to do anything about it. Lacus was remained quiet patiently, wondering what Kira needed to ask, and at the same time feeling her heart begin pounding against her ribs. There was the small, unexplainable thread of a hope that he'd…'_No,_' she snapped to herself. She shouldn't think of something like that, it would be too much of a let down when he asked something simple like wanting to borrow a pen or something.

"Um, Lacus, there was something I wanted to ask you…" Kira stammered after a few moments, pausing in the hallway to look over at her. Lacus' eyes were wide, and curiosity covered her expression, though the nervousness in Kira's tone was really plucking all the wrong strings. Her hands felt a bit warm, and she clenched them tightly to keep any sort of shaking away.

"Ah…Would it trouble you to come to the shopping district with me after school?" Kira asked quickly, giving her a hopeful look.

"Yes! I-I mean, yeah, sure…It's no trouble at all," the girl replied, just a bit too quickly, but nonetheless, she didn't really care.

"Really?" Kira asked, a smile tugging on his lips that reminded Lacus of a young boy. She nodded, and Kira rubbed the bag of his neck in relief. "Thanks," he replied. "Cagalli's birthday is tomorrow, so I need to get her something…But I couldn't decide on what to get her and was hoping to get some help," he explained sheepishly, grinning with just a little bit of embarrassment on his face.

"Her birthday?" Lacus asked, smiling back amusedly. "Of course I can help, though I don't know your sister all that well," she added, just a bit of a chuckle on her lips. In all honestly, Lacus would have agreed to Kira's request if he'd wanted to walk to the moon. It meant she could spend some more time with Kira, and while doing so, she wouldn't have to go home so soon, and that was just fine by her.

* * *

"Now I'm going to be stuck with Azrael, and it's all my father's fault!" Athrun grumbled rather angrily, annoyance having returned. Yzak was walking beside him, having been listening to Athrun's abridged version of his new situation with half interest. In all honesty, the platinum blonde's attention was miles away, and one could easily see that through his eyes. A scowl settled on his lips at the dark haired boy's complaint, and he exhaled in frustration.

Pushing his hands into his pants pockets, Yzak glared ahead, walking just a step behind Athrun as had become his habit. Athrun, not having noticed his companion's obvious disinterest, continued his complaining. Running a hand through his hair, Athrun sighed. Glancing sideways over to Yzak, the emerald eyed boy paused for a moment in his one-sided conversation.

"You know, Dearka is really grating on my nerves," he began, not noticing the pale haired boy look up at the mention of the blonde. "I saw him in class earlier, and he looked as though he couldn't care less that I was there. I mean, sure I'm still pissed with him, but I didn't expect him to drag this out so long," Athrun's tone picked up a bit of a malicious tint, and he looked ahead.

"He's still stuck around Azrael, and that's even worse than just ditching us," he commented, furrowing his brow. Smirking maliciously, Athrun gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, "If he insists on staying with those people, he can be my guest. It won't be long till he's just as worthless as the lot of them –" But Athrun's voice cut off when he suddenly felt his back pressed against lockers.

Yzak stood before him, breathing just a bit heavily and his pale blue eyes in one of the nastiest glares Athrun had yet seen from him. Yzak's lips trembled, as though he were holding something back, and Athrun heard the sliding of the other's palm on one of the locker doors beside his face. Emerald eyes matching the glare, and the dark haired boy straightened, clearly annoyed with this outburst from his friend.

"The hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed, but Yzak could have cared less.

"Don't you ever say something about Dearka like that, especially around me," the pale haired boy uttered, his tone deadly and dangerous. Athrun wasn't really all too bothered by it, and merely shoved the other away. Sniffing in discontent, Athrun brushed his blazer sleeve as though brushing away dust and turned away from Yzak.

"You seem overly stressed, Yzak," Athrun smirked, lifting an eyebrow. "Have you and Megumi not done it in awhile?" the boy questioned, watching in interest as Yzak's expression fell back into a slightly less angered yet calm expression. Athrun gave him a look as though to say "I'm waiting," but Yzak simply glared.

"I broke up with her awhile ago," he finally answered, stuffing his free hand in his pocket. He said nothing more, holding eye contact with Athrun a little longer, and then turned away boredly. Athrun was expecting him to go on, and tell him who his new girlfriend was, but Yzak was silent again. The dark haired boy shrugged to himself, and turned to resume walking to his next class.

Walking a few steps, Athrun paused and turned around, his expression holding none of the anger from a few seconds before. In fact, it looked like he was bored. "Oh, Yzak, I forgot to mention I'm holding a party at my place Saturday night. It'd be pretty boring without at least one of my good friends there," the boy added, his lips pulling into a smirk. Yzak shrugged, though Athrun knew quite well that the other would come.

Athrun completely missed the malicious glare Yzak through his way when he turned around, and the boy scoffed. Biting the inside of his cheek, Yzak huffed to himself. "_What friends?_" he muttered near silently, but following Athrun nonetheless.

Resuming the trek to class, the two boys came to the doorway of the classroom for their next period, but Athrun stopped again. Yzak would have rolled his eyes in annoyance, but he looked at Athrun expectantly when he turned around again. He wasn't quite expecting what Athrun said, and he wasn't quite catching on either.

"And if you know any short haired blonde girls, invite them." Athrun had said, a bored expression masking his own annoyance. Yzak would have groaned, but that was more of Dearka's personality. Instead, Yzak remained as stoic as ever as he followed the other into the classroom.

* * *

Lacus and Kira were making their way out of their last class, chatting quietly with one another, seemingly unaware of how close they really were to the other. Lacus smiled at something Kira said, and made a quick reply, earning a small chuckle from the brunette. Turning to look down the hall, Lacus sighed quietly, glad the day was over. Now she and Kira could go get Cagalli's present…and Lacus could try and muster up the courage to keep herself from melting into a puddle. Glancing out the corner of her eye, Lacus eyed Kira for a moment, glad that he wasn't looking at her that moment.

Her lips pursed, and she swallowed. Willing with all her might to force the blush down, she felt her hands tighten on her schoolbag. She would definitely use this time to put it to good use. She couldn't let an opportunity to be with Kira alone go to waste. Looking away quickly when he turned to her again, she stared down at the tiles of the hallway, wondering if Kira knew she'd been staring at him. Well, it wouldn't be the worst thing, or the first time he'd seen it, anyway. The girl sighed quietly, holding her bag against her chest instead of carrying it normally.

When Kira had handed back her notebook in the class she'd slept through, she'd thought her palms were burning. Just holding the notebook, she'd suddenly felt her heart fluttering foolishly, and hoping that she wasn't blushing and that Kira wasn't watching, she'd flipped through the pages quietly till she came to that day's notes. Seeing Kira's neat and clear handwriting, she felt her heart ram against her ribs, and she'd only hoped no one else had heard it.

Rolling her eyes as she recalled the scene from much earlier, Lacus only held her bag closer to her chest. That notebook had just become her second favorite thing she owned. Coming up just behind her precious cell phone that held Kira's phone number. Lacus nearly jumped when she felt something touch her elbow, and she looked to her side with wide eyes only to find Kira staring at her with an amused expression.

"Sorry, you were zoning out," Kira said quickly. "Could you hear me?" he asked curiously, and Lacus felt her cheeks flare up. Suppressing a blush wasn't quite so easy.

"N-No, sorry," she mumbled, laughing nervously.

"I said that we should head to our lockers so we can get going. I don't want to take too long, since you probably have to get home quickly…" Kira explained, looking away to rub the back of his head. Lacus shook her head, her lips back into a calm smile.

"No, it's all right. No one's expecting me back, so it doesn't matter how long it takes." she explained, "We can take as much time as we want," she added, watching with delighted amusement when Kira seemed to sigh out of relief and grin back at her.

But as the two were about to head over to their lockers, they stopped when they heard Kira's name called over the crowd. Turning to look over his shoulder, Kira saw Erica Simmons, the secretary, making her way over to them, calling his name again to make sure he didn't walk off. Turning to face the woman, Kira glanced over to Lacus. "Lacus, go ahead to your locker, okay? I'll meet you out on the front steps. Promise," he assured her, smiling as she nodded and began walking away.

Lacus hurried with her locker, her hands almost shaking as she tried to sort out what exactly she needed. There wasn't much homework that day, and she ended up with only needing her math textbook. Emptying the unneeded items in her locker, she shut and locked it, and nearly sprinted out of the building. She didn't think Kira would be waiting for her, since she hadn't seen him at his locker or anything, but she wanted to be ready when he showed up.

Holding her bag to her chest again, she leaned against the brick wall of the school away from the doors as students poured out. Blue eyes watched blindly as people she didn't know and some people who looked familiar from the hallway walked past. She wasn't really seeing them, but focusing on keeping her heart in her chest. Every time the doors opened, she straightened, wondering if it was Kira.

But when he wasn't the one exiting the building, she fell back against the wall, and resumed her thoughts. A small smile played on her lips, and she made a soft humming sound, playing out a quiet melody of a familiar song. Though she didn't really want to think too hard about it, she really couldn't help it. She wanted to do something, something completely rash and out of her character, something surprising and something hopefully accepted. She wanted to tell Kira…

Her humming faded and her eyes glanced up at the sky curiously. It was rather shady, and the dark clouds that had been rolling in during lunch were now nearly covering the sky in fluffy gray and violet. Maybe Miriallia was right about the storm?

* * *

When Erica caught up to Kira, she seemed to have an annoyed expression on her face, but she took in a deep breath and exhaled, calm returning to her features easily. Straightening as she looked down at Kira, the woman smiled carefully. "Kira, you've discussed being Zala's tutor with Ms. Ramius already, correct?" the woman questioned, seemingly pleased to see Kira nod. "Well, the board has decided that we want to start those sessions this week, despite how late in it this is," the woman added with just a bit of distaste in her tone. "Would you be able to stay after school today for two hours? I know tomorrow's Friday, and no one really likes to stay after then," she said, smiling benignly.

Kira, on the other hand, wasn't so happy with this news. "Actually, I have plans today…" he murmured, watching as Erica lifted an eyebrow.

"Well then, tomorrow should be fine," she said, eyeing the boy when his expression fell into more gloom.

"Tomorrow is my little sister's birthday," he replied quietly. "I don't think I can really stay after tomorrow," he hinted, his tone almost desperate while he averted his gaze to the floor. "Can't we do this next Monday or something?" he questioned, earning a look from Erica that seemed to scream agitation.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Erica sighed. She really didn't like kids, then alone high school students. The woman didn't hold a grudge against this boy who was an honor student and easily praised by his other teachers, but she didn't know him like they did. She didn't know the Zala boy either, except for knowing his father and knowing that the phrase "Like father like son" couldn't apply better. And she didn't want to get stuck arguing with this kid, despite how polite or worried he seemed to look.

"Look, I'm sorry to be ruining your plans, but the board made the decision. Besides, you're being paid to tutor the kid, and quite generously. Can't you just be thankful?" she asked, rolling her eyes when the boy seemed to cringe. Erica forgot that these students were all spoiled brats who didn't need to work for money. Just wonderful. Reaching forward, the woman grabbed the boy's elbow and began dragging him along.

"I'm sorry, but whatever you had planned today is going to have to wait. I have to stay here till you and that boy are done with the session, and won't be getting home to my own kids till later. Can't you just go quietly?" the woman snapped, making the boy flinch. She was just a little miffed that when she'd begun pulling him by his arm, he'd made a noise of pain. She wasn't clutching his arm too hard, was she? No…Sheesh, kids were annoying.

It wasn't long till they reached the library, and Erica opened the door for Kira who walked in glumly. It didn't help that Athrun Zala was sitting at one of the library tables with a lax expression in his face. There was a male teacher sitting at another table, and he looked up with narrowed eyes when Kira walked in. Erica said goodbye, and the doors closed.

"All right you two, sit down and get to work," the teacher ordered, his tone just as bored and frustrated as Erica's had been. He obviously didn't want to be there either.

Athrun smirked when Kira eyed him carefully, but the brunette ignored the other and made his way to the table. Setting down his bag, Kira sat down in one of the hard wooden chairs and sighed sadly. Eyeing his bag reluctantly, he knew he'd have to message Lacus or something to tell her he wouldn't be able to make it. But no sooner had he pulled out his phone, he felt a hand on his shoulder and the teacher was standing over him with an annoyed expression.

"There's no time for fooling around right now, Azrael-kun," the man said in a chastising tone. "Now hand me your phone, you can have it back when this is over. Yours too, Zala-kun," the man said as an afterthought, leering at the midnight haired boy. Athrun rolled his eyes and handed over his red flip phone, eyeing Kira's phone curiously.

'_Huh…So Azrael did actually have some ties with the world. Who would've thought?_' Athrun couldn't help thinking before glancing at his math book. Two chapters had to be covered, and he also had a science assignment. Lovely.

"Someone doesn't look happy to be here," Athrun said in a low voice after the teacher had left them, amusement dripping from his words.

"We should work on the science assignment, it seems to be the simpler of the two," the brunette muttered, trying to mask the irritation and anger raging in him. Lacus was surely to leave soon, probably even think that Kira had ditched her on purpose or something. This was great, just great. He would be lucky if she didn't hold a grudge against him or something, despite the fact that Lacus didn't seem the type. But the way she hated the boy sitting across from Kira, after only knowing Athrun as little as she did, Kira was afraid if she might be hurt that someone who was her friend had ditched her like that.

"I'm not really in a science mood, I'd rather do the math first," Athrun replied airily, dropping the math book open and flipping randomly through the pages. His eyes were trained on Kira's and he was waiting for the right moment to toss another little comment. Kira kept his eyes on the pages in the math book, and he glanced at the sheet he'd been provided with, and stole a quick glance at the teacher who sat not too far away, his attention currently on a book Kira could see the title of.

"The chapter has some equations and radicals…" Kira murmured, ignoring the other as well as he could.

"What's wrong, Azrael? You seem like you want to leave already," Athrun commented, the low voice still in use to keep the teacher from hearing.

Looking up with hatred in his eyes, Kira glared at Athrun stonily for a moment, wanting to look back down at the book. "If you don't just do your work, I won't let your grades improve. Daddy wouldn't want that, would he?" the brunette asked, though unlike Athrun, he never found sick enjoyment in attacking someone else, verbally or physically. His lips were set in a dark frown, and his pale violet eyes burned.

Athrun suddenly felt an ache, and though it wasn't all that painful or anything, he hadn't really remembered it. He'd gotten a few sore spots on his body from that morning's episode, and now he was beginning to feel it. Not wanting to seem intimidated or anything, Athrun rolled his eyes and glanced down at the book, tapping his pencil on the hard top of the table. Kira ignored the noise, and explained as quickly as he could the way to solve a certain set of equations, watching as Athrun worked through them.

After nearly half an hour, Kira's anger had faded, having nearly exhausted him with his constant worry running through his head. He merely sat there in that room so despondently in his chair, making halfhearted corrections to Athrun's less then sensible work, and repeating properties and equations. Kira was a bit surprised that Athrun really didn't seem to be getting most of it. What was so hard with trigonometry? They weren't working with graphs for these chapters, and Athrun seemed way behind.

The quiet in the room was interrupted with a loud boom that came from outside, causing Kira to nearly jump in his seat as he looked up and over towards the library windows. He ignored Athrun's quiet comment of him being a sissy to look out at the darkened clouds obscuring the sky. He noticed then that rain was falling, not too heavily, but there was quite a lot of it. Worry flickered over his face for a moment, wondering if Lacus had actually waited long enough to have gotten stuck in the rain when she finally walked home. Guilt splashed over his face, and Kira looked back down at Athrun's paper, realizing too late that the other had done and entire equation incorrectly.

Groaning quietly to himself, Kira's shoulders slumped and he rested his chin in his palm. He didn't want to look at a clock only to see how many more hours were waiting of this. He just wanted to get out of there…not mention he still had to go and get his sister's gift…and he couldn't remember if the store was suppose to be closing early or something.

"Carry that seven and the radical is used in that function," he murmured glumly, pointing out Athrun's near mistake. This was going to be a long tutoring session, but at least Athrun was affected some by his threat, because he wasn't saying much. Another crack of thunder sounded and echoed through the library, and Kira heard the rain fall harder, pounding against the roof of the school. '_Lacus is really going to hate me,_' he thought to himself despairingly.

* * *

Those had surely been the longest two hours of his life, Kira was sure of it. Now he trudged through the hallway, dragging his feet as he made his way to his locker. Failing to put in his combination correctly the first few times, Kira groaned in frustration and his forehead met the cool metal of the locker beside his as he attempted to open his locker once more. Something was finally going right, since the door finally decided to open, and he set about putting his unneeded books away.

It was after he'd shut his locker door and had begun his walk to the front doors that Kira had pulled up his cell phone, waiting for the thing to turn on. Maybe…just maybe Lacus had called him or something? Left a message? Hopefully she'd been called to go home early or something? But those worries were put aside for a moment when his gaze fell across the little alert screen. It wasn't reminding him of his low battery, but it was reminding him of something quite a bit more important.

Two text messages were waiting, both having come from Cagalli. Kira suddenly fell into a panic, wondering if she'd been waiting for him all this time and was out there getting soaked…But relief flooded his system when he opened the first and it was just a reminder that she was going to drop Stellar's homework off. It had been sent to him before school was over, and he wondered for only a moment if she'd sent it during class. The next was made not too long ago, and Cagalli was just letting him know she was staying at Stellar's for dinner, and Neo would drive her home before it was too late. Kira was just a bit disappointed…no, that wasn't quite the word…He was more…anxious really, that Lacus hadn't called or left any sort of message. Maybe she'd gotten too angry to bother contacting him? After all, he'd promised to meet her soon, and it had been a whole two hours…

Kira was broken away from his thoughts when thunder crashed again, and he realized he'd be running to the store and home through the rain. Wonderful. But not wanting to waste even more time, the brunette hurried out of the hall, making his way to the doors quickly. He reached out to push the long bar to open it, and just as he gave it a shove to open it further, a loud boom of thunder overhead made him scowl as he stumbled out of the school, and a blast of thunder boomed again, and he turned when he heard a small squeak, his pale violet eyes widening in disbelief at the sight before him.

The rain began soaking him quickly, and his hair was soon plastered against his face, but it didn't seem to be bothering him. The girl, now standing up, was soaked through, her hair a shade darker from being wet, and her clothes sticking to her skin. Her bag was clutched against her chest, and Kira saw she was standing in a way to keep it somewhat dry. Her hair held no traces of that morning's style of lumpy and slightly misshapen, now that the pastel pink tresses were dripping wet.

"Lacus?" Kira asked incredulously after a few moments. The girl smiled sheepishly, and seemed to be uncomfortable with his expression. Did he really have to look so surprised? "W-What're you…" he began, about to ask what she was doing, but she interrupted.

"You promised you'd meet me here, so…I stayed…" she murmured softly, her voice almost muffled by the rain. Kira shook his head, but then a guilty smile broke across his lips and he took the few steps towards her before throwing his arms around her shoulders, and bringing her closer to his body, utterly surprising her enough to drop her bag.

"I'm so sorry! I'm really, really, sorry…" he mumbled into her hair, his hands burning her wet and shivery skin even beneath all her clothes. Lacus was too surprised to respond, but neither made a move to change the current situation. Lacus' eyes were wide and her face was nearly buried in Kira's chest, he seemed so tall and lanky, and she could hear the little voice in the back of her head that had gotten louder these past few hours telling her to bring her arms around him, but she really couldn't make her body follow her brain's orders. That is, until another crack of thunder echoed around them, and she jumped, only pressing herself against Kira even more.

"Oh, sorry," Kira stammered once he realized what exactly he'd been doing, taking one small step away from the girl. But once he did, Lacus suddenly felt cold again, and shivered involuntarily. Kira noticed, and instantly felt guilt weighing down on his shoulders. Shrugging out of his blazer, Kira handed it over to Lacus, who looked at it in confusion. "It…won't really help or anything, but still," he explained sheepishly, pulling it over the girl so that it rested on her shoulders, and she could keep it closed with her hands, sleeves hanging down the sides limply.

Lacus didn't understand what Kira had meant by it wouldn't help, it was warm as furnace, and the girl's heart, pounding in her chest that seemed to have a mind of its own, seemed to have suspicions that the warmth came from the fact that it was Kira's.

Kira picked up her bag, and looked over to her, a curious look in his eyes. "Do you want me to walk you home? It wouldn't be any trouble," he assured her, but the girl's lips, paler than usual – as was the rest of her skin, pulled up into a small smile.

"You wanted my help picking out Cagalli's gift, right?" she asked, taking a step towards the other, reaching one hand out from within the warmth to grasp his own hand, still warm, and pulled on it gently. "Well then, let's go before animals start falling from the sky," she teased, walking ahead of Kira and pulling him along behind her down the steps and towards the entrance of the school. Despite the freezing rain and the fact that they were both soaked, Lacus couldn't help but feel happy. Kira's hand was holding onto hers, and pleasant shocks were running through her entire arm.

"The store I wanted to go to is pretty close to the entrance of the shopping district, he assured her, sounding as though he was making the entire trip seem short and simple. "You really don't have to come," he added quietly, his voice betraying him and giving away his sadness in that statement. But a small, melodic giggle fell from the girl leading him, and Lacus glanced over her shoulder to Kira.

"But what if I really want to?" she asked, and Kira was silent, his lips slowly being pulled up into a smile as well.

The two scurried along the sideway, eyeing a large tree one street over that they'd be able to take cover under for just a few moments. Coming to the edge of the sidewalk, Lacus wasn't watching her feet, and made a surprised sound, but held no anger or irritation. Kira was dragged right after her, and his feet made a splash when he stepped off the curb, and he felt the water of the puddle splash up to his ankle. He grinned at Lacus as she lead him across the street to stand under the tree, laughing in a beautiful voice Kira had never heard before as she did so.

"My feet are soaked!" she exclaimed in strange delight, giggling as though she were a child purposely dirtying fancy clothes she was forced to wear by her mother. Kira shook his head, his short hair sending droplets flying in every direction that left his dark tresses in a wild mop of hair that stood up in all directions. Lacus laughed, and clutched his blazer tighter around herself.

"Bad dog," she teased with a giggle, wiping her face with her shoulder – brushing her skin against Kira's clothes. Kira grinned and made a playful "woof" sound, earning another laugh from the bell beside him. Kira's eyes were entranced by the girl, and he couldn't help the small smile his lips formed as he continued to watch her. This was a completely different Lacus than he was used to. But that didn't make it a bad thing.

This girl seemed…free. That was a pretty good word to describe it. Kira knew Lacus to be the reserved, quiet girl who could blush at anything, even staring down at the same floor tile. That Lacus was almost too shy sometimes, and her eyes sometimes seemed out of focus as though she was seeing something no one else could, and the look of utter sadness and unhappiness that plagued her face then…This girl seemed free of all of that. A carefree, and beautiful girl who looked like nothing could take away her smile.

And her laugh…

Kira wondered to himself if it was even remotely possible for any human, extraordinary as she was, to possess a voice like that. Surely a voice that sounded like bells could only belong to the purest of an angel, not a girl stranded on the ugly earth with a beauty unknown to anyone. The brunette didn't realize he'd staring till Lacus poked his chest, laughing softly when he seemed to shake out of his reverie.

"Something on my face?" she asked curiously, the smile on her lips almost too perfect for Kira's eyes.

"N-No…" he stammered, looking away and out towards the dark road that was devoid of any car or other person. It seemed bad weather like this drove most sane people indoors. "But, I was wondering…" he began to asked, his tone taking on a guilty feel again. "Why were you still waiting for me? And out in the rain?" he asked, giving her a worried expression. Lacus couldn't help the embarrassed look on her face, the red flush in her cheeks, or the crooked half smile on her lips.

"Like I said, we promised to meet there…" she said, avoiding Kira's disbelieving look, "And I couldn't get inside. When it started to rain, I tried, but the janitor was mopping the floors, and when he saw me dripping wet, he told me that unless I had business with a teacher, I had to leave. He kinda pushed me out before I had the chance to think…" she explained, laughing to herself. Kira hung his head and chuckled humorlessly.

"I'm really, really sorry," he murmured, his hand carefully and hesitantly moving towards her to brush her arm which she was using as a buffer to lean against the tree. His blazer was still pulled around her and she held it tightly with her other hand, and Kira couldn't help the small amount of satisfaction bubbling in his chest.

Lacus stepped away from the tree, holding her hand out to the other. When Kira hesitated, Lacus' gaze softened, and her lips parted slightly before she reached further to grasp Kira's hand, giving it a slight tug. When he looked up, he was a bit surprised by her soft expression split by her grin. "And I'm really, really happy to be here," she countered, though she chuckled after a moment, and began walking back towards the sidewalk. "Well, here helping you," she added quickly over her shoulder. "C'mon, the rain seems to be lightening some," the girl said cheerily, pulling Kira along behind her.

The brunette could help but smile, and feel his mood lighten up a bit. Of course, it sunk a little more when they were out of the cover of the tree and back in the rain. Kira walked just a bit faster so that Lacus was no longer dragging him, and he walked instep beside her. He couldn't help the smile that still tugged on his lips, and he found rather happily that his thoughts seemed only able to focus on Lacus. With no one on the streets, and just the natural sound of the rain falling, it was like he and she were in their own little world. And if Lacus would laugh and smile like this in that world, Kira didn't care what price he'd have to pay to keep her there.

His little reverie was broken when Lacus skipped ahead of him, her hand slipped away from his as she leapt straight towards a puddle that had begun to form on the sidewalk. She cried out in delight when the cold water splashed up against her stockings, and she bounced happily for a second, smaller splash before spreading her arms and twirling towards another small puddle.

Kira almost stopped in his tracks as he watched her. His earlier thoughts of having thought of Lacus' current mood making her seem free were now long gone. Watching her smile as she danced through the thick curtain of rain, the brunette could only shake his head slightly in awe. This girl wasn't free…she was air. Nothing could touch her, hinder her, capture her. She was just the essence of air itself. And, again, that laugh of hers…

A sudden clap of thunder startled the two, and Kira stepped closer to Lacus who seemed to have slipped in her surprise. His hand caught her elbow before she could fall, and he steadied her with a laugh. The girl seemed to have snapped out of her own reverie, and she gripped Kira's hand with her one tightly, not wanting to let go of his blazer that still made her feel hot and secure all over.

"You seem to be cheerful, what's the occasion?" Kira asked curiously, truly interested in her answer. Of course, if it was something attainable, he'd know how to bring her back to this mood, how to keep the darkened girl away from this angelic beauty. Lacus allowed him to pull her along, their walking pace having quickened a bit due to their seemingly mutual distaste of thunder. Both were just glad that no lightening had yet lit up the sky.

Lacus took a moment before answering, turning her head up to the dark sky and allowing the rain to fall down on her face. Closing her eyes for a moment, a serene smile passed over her lips, and she looked back to Kira, shaking her head slightly to get her bangs unstuck from her face. "You really wanna know?" she asked, her tone playful yet…it seemed she wondered if she was going to tell him. Kira nodded eagerly, leading them onto another sidewalk.

"I really like being with…I really like…" Lacus began, her expression falling into a bit of a blush before she looked off to the side. "I really like the rain," she said finally, her tone seeming to say that that wasn't all she'd wanted to say. But though Kira caught that, he didn't want to press her. "When I was little, I'd go out and play in the rain with my father. He never let me stay out long though, since he didn't want me to get sick." Lacus explained in a distant tone, her eyes seeing something Kira couldn't. "But I'd find a way to sneak out sometimes, and then he'd find me shivering and burning up, nose dripping and red eyes up in my room," Lacus recalled, making Kira smile. He could almost picture it, though he had no idea what Lacus looked like as a child, nor what her father looked like. For some reason, he did put the image of the young girl from his dream so long ago in Lacus' place, but her father was just a faceless figure.

"Your father seems like a good person," Kira offered, smiling gently at the girl. He was a bit concerned when her expression fell a bit, and a bittersweet smile crossed her lips.

"He…is," she responded, looking back up at the sky. Kira wasn't quite sure what to say, and they walked in silence for a bit. It was first disturbed by Lacus when she began to hum, and Kira felt his anxiousness fade as he listened to the sound. Even more beautiful than her laugh, and just as mesmerizing and heartwarming. Rather, Kira suspected that everything about Lacus made his heart race.

"You know, you haven't told me what you were doing all that time," Lacus mentioned, looking over to Kira with an innocent expression. No guilt trip or malicious intent, just curiosity. Kira was a bit comforted by that, but he wondered if he'd feel better if she'd just yell at him a little bit or something. She was a bit too understanding.

Kira looked down for a moment, and then repeated his little episode of hell to the girl. Lacus had a contemplative look on her face, and she seemed to shrug it off fast enough. "Well, he should be more thankful to you for spending your precious time tutoring him! On his hands and knees groveling," she muttered darkling, earning a chuckle from Kira.

"I think he was only being moderately well-behaved because there was a teacher not ten feet away," the brunette mumbled. "But hey, that's done and over with till next week! And the store is just up there!" Kira said cheerfully, pointing ahead. Lacus looked and saw a few stores just up the road they were on. This was one of the many entrances into the shopping district, and she thought she vaguely recalled what a few of the stores sold.

Before long, Kira had brought her to the entrance of a store with a name she couldn't care much for. The glass windows were tinted very dark, and the writing of the store's name was a sort of calligraphy mixed with cursive in large white letters above the door. When Kira reached forward to open the door, a blast of icy air came and hit them, surprising Lacus quite well.

Kira waited till she'd walked in before following, and the ring of the bell over the door was quiet. The store was mainly a large room furnished with crimson carpet and dark red wallpaper on the walls with a gold ornate design. The many glass counters circling the shop were trimmed in gold colored metal, and Lacus realized they were in a jewelry store. Judging by the way Kira seemed just a bit uncomfortable now; Lacus knew why he'd wanted help.

Following him up to the counter where a woman with a pinched face was glaring at them, he stopped just a few inches away, a pleasant expression on his face that Lacus felt the woman didn't deserve. "Azrael Kira, I called not long ago about those three pieces," Kira said carefully. The woman's unpleasant expression seemed to evaporate the moment she heard his name, and she was suddenly all smiles and humbleness.

"Ah yes, Azrael!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together when she seemed to recall. "Yes, I have those pieces waiting in the back, I'll be just one moment!" and with that she disappeared through a door that must have led to their storeroom, and the two teenagers didn't wait long before she was back, carrying three satin covered boxed.

Placing them on the counter one at a time, she opened them as though putting them on display, and stepped back, nodding her head politely. "Now, do you know which you'll be choosing? Or do you need a moment?" the woman asked, eyeing Kira critically now. The boy ignored her, and looked over to Lacus.

"Lacus, do you think you could help me decide? I'm not really the smartest person for this sort of situation," Kira explained, though Lacus took a moment to answer him. Her eyes were on the three pieces displayed, blue orbs wide. The first item was a delicate silver bracelet inlaid with bright orange topazes. The next was a necklace with a thin silver chain in which a silver disk hung, it too inlaid with a topaz. Lacus' eyes fell on the last piece, and she noted the thin gold chain and teardrop diamond with slight interest.

"You want me to help you choose which one for your sister?" she asked, curiosity and confusion in her tone.

Kira chuckled, and nodded his head sheepishly. "Cagalli doesn't really have much of a preference when it comes to this sort of thing, not one that she'll share anyway, but I just came up with a topaz because she likes that color, and the diamond…well, I guess what person doesn't like them?"

The girl eyed the three again, critically this time. From what she'd seen of Cagalli, and from the bits and pieces she'd heard from Kira, Lacus could only decide on the fact that Cagalli was not the kind of girl who cared much about such things, if anything she was a bit masculine compared to the average girl, though that was only in mind.

Gazing closer at the silver necklace, Lacus looked each over again. Kira didn't seem too bothered, but the woman's little charade of pleasantness was beginning to crack. Sighing, Lacus gestured to the first item.

"The bracelet?" Kira asked curiously, looking at it with new eyes now. Lacus nodded, and Kira gave the woman a look that seemed to say he'd made his decision. She seemed happy enough, and quickly took the other two pieces off the counter.

Lacus smiled when Kira seemed to be gazing intently at it, as though wondering what the difference was between it and the others. "It's subtle but very elegant at the same time. And because it's worn around the wrist, it might feel less objectifying?" Lacus explained. "Your sister seems like the kind of girl who doesn't want to be put in a pretty package, and signs of femininity in rings or necklaces at this time might make her feel like her resolve is weakening," the long haired girl added, making Kira smile.

"That actually sounds a lot like her," he agreed, turning to the woman when she finished ringing up the purchase. Kira held both schoolbags carefully as he opened his before pulling out his wallet. Flipping it open, he pulled a credit card from one of its folds, and handed it over to the woman who smiled in a way much like the cat who'd eaten the canary and gotten away with it. Lacus had watched with a curious expression. Was Kira borrowing his father's card? It didn't really bother her or anything, but she was just the slightest bit curious.

Nonetheless, when Kira had safely tucked the scarlet satin box sitting in a small plastic bag inside of his schoolbag, he turned to Lacus. Reaching forward, his hand grasped hers, and she felt sparks running through her arm again. As he pulled her out of the store, she thought she heard him mention something about stopping at the nearby general store for a minute or so to get an umbrella…But she wasn't really paying that much attention, honestly. She thought vaguely of the fact that nearly more than half of their outing was now done, and she still wanted to…Well, nothing really mattered at that moment. That was because Kira was holding her hand again, and her mind didn't want to think of anything else.

* * *

"Ah…I don't get this problem," Stellar said over a mouthful of spaghetti, pointing to the problem on her worksheet so the other blonde could see. Cagalli looked up and sighed, shaking her head at her best friend. Swallowing her mouthful of the saucy and mouthwatering dinner, Cagalli placed her plate on the floor beside her and turned to face Stellar.

Glancing at the problem, Cagalli sighed and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "Stellar, that one is just like the second problem," Cagalli began to explain, pointing out the points of the problem and explaining them again carefully as she'd done before. She wasn't really annoyed, just a little frustrated, and she wondered if Stellar was just playing dumb to get on her nerves.

"Oh, I see! Thank you, Cagalli," the girl chimed, bringing her pencil to the paper and writing down the answer in seconds. Cagalli's suspicions were only becoming more believable.

When Cagalli had gone to bring Stellar her homework, she was surprised when Stellar answered the door in her oversized pajamas which were obnoxious articles of clothing consisting of a long sleeved button up shirt and sweat pants. They were decorated in a cartoon character theme with familiar looking characters scattered across the clothing in various comical poses.

In fact, Cagalli could remember Stellar explaining that she'd gotten them a few years ago, having wanted her older brother to get her one of the largest sizes due to wanting to be able to wear them for a long time. Well, it'd been about four or five years since then, and Stellar had only gotten a bit taller. She was still tiny and skinny as a stick, and though Cagalli claimed she didn't care, just a bit curvier than most girls their age.

Stellar had immediately asked if she'd stay for dinner, making the excuse of needing homework help. The gold eyed girl went along, glad to spend time with her friend outside of school, and now, hours later, they were in Stellar's room with books and papers scattered. Music was playing quietly from somewhere, though Cagalli had given up trying to find the source in the mess of her friend's room. Stellar was spread over her bed to give Cagalli room on the floor, and her plate of spaghetti was balanced precariously on her pillow.

After a few more minutes of working, Stellar sighed lightly and hung her head over the edge of her bed, glancing sideways at Cagalli who looked on with careful amusement. The other lifted an eyebrow, knowing something was on Stellar's mind, and the paler haired blonde knew to speak up. "Cagalli, you should sleep over…Not tonight since it's Thursday, but maybe tomorrow night?" the girl asked hopefully.

Cagalli was a little surprised, and a troubled expression crossed her face. She shrugged, not really knowing if she could or couldn't. She hadn't really done something like that with Stellar in a long time, and in all honesty, she realized that she missed those times now that they were being offered out to her again. Stellar smiled, interpreting the shrug as a "Sure" as was natural with Cagalli, and she instantly rushed into a cheerful itinerary of what they could do. Activities ranging from facials, movies, video games, and cooking, among many others fell from Stellar's enthusiastic lips and Cagalli listened with an amused smile as she completed another homework problem.

"Hey…is your dad going to throw you a party or anything?" Stellar asked curiously, her magenta eyes wide in curiosity. Though Cagalli thought otherwise, Stellar _**did**_ notice the slight cringe at the mention of her father.

"Mur…M-My dad doesn't really bother with things like that," she admitted, glancing over to Stellar. "Why? Did you think I couldn't come over if he was?" she asked, suspicions returning to the back of her mind at the Cheshire grin on Stellar's lips.

"Oh…no, nothing like that…But I _was_ thinking a little thought…" Stellar mumbled, tapping her fingers together and grinning at Cagalli's curious expression.

"Hm?"

"Well…Maybe we could throw a party for you here!?" the girl exclaimed excitedly, smiling and enthusiastic. "We could get a cake or something, and Shinn and Ahmed could come over…We could invite Katie too! She has an older sister, right? Well, she can come, along with Kira!" Stellar chirped happily. Cagalli wasn't sure why, but she seemed to feel the need to mention someone…

"What about Kira's friend Lacus?" the blonde wondered, pushing a chunk of spaghetti around on her plate. Stellar didn't seem to have changed her mood.

"Well, it's your party; your brother can bring whoever he wants!" Stellar exclaimed, standing up suddenly. "I'm going to go ask Neo right now! Be right back," she said hurriedly before sprinting out of her room. Cagalli sighed and shook her head, looking back down at her homework. A party? She hadn't had one of those since…well…Since she and Kira had lived with the Amalfi family.

But luckily enough, she was pulled out of her reverie when Stellar bounded back into her room with a big grin on her lips that clearly showed Neo's answer. Cagalli sighed and leaned against Stellar's bed while the girl seemed to stalk around her room, stopping at her closet which was just as untidy as her room.

"I know it's here somewhere…" she murmured, digging through her thinks and making Cagalli watch on in amused curiosity.

"What in the world are you looking for?" Cagalli wondered, absently plucking at the black material that made her uniform shirt. She'd shrugged out of her blazer once in Stellar's room and it was currently hanging haphazardly over her desk chair. Her tie had joined it, Cagalli never one to enjoy staying stuck in her uniform.

"Aha!" Stellar exclaimed victoriously as she pulled out a white box from the top of her closet. It was thin and long, and suspiciously familiar looking.

"What's that?" Cagalli demanded quietly, her eyes narrow and her lips pursed. Stellar merely tapped her cheek with a grin as she tossed the box onto her bed.

"Don't you remember when you asked me to hold your dress for you? That Saturday at the shopping district? Well…I think it would be fun if you wore it tomorrow…" Stellar suggested, walking over to pat the box on her bed.

"When hell freezes over," Cagalli snapped, shoveling a large portion of spaghetti into her mouth. Stellar sighed, but still smiled.

"I guess Satan'll be pretty cold tomorrow then, huh?" Stellar chimed, making Cagalli glare at her. The girl then looked up with realization. "Oh! I should probably call the guys! I don't have Katie's number, so we'll just have to invite her tomorrow…" Stellar said to herself as she drifted towards the doorway. Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled, "I'll be back in a few minutes, kay?" she asked, and before Cagalli could answer, she'd stepped out and closed the door nearly all the way.

Once she was gone, Cagalli couldn't help but chew her food absently. Looking up at the bed out of the corner of her eye, Cagalli seemed to glare for a moment, but it softened. Standing up, she rubbed her lips with a napkin which she dropped down on her cleared plate. Now, she glared at the innocent white box that had become a source of hatred.

But curiosity compelled her to reach out and open the box, if only to remind her of the shade of green the dress was. Once the lid was off, Cagalli stared down cautiously at the garment, as though expecting it would jump out of the box and bite her. But, something was compelling her to reach forward and grasp the soft fabric of the dress. As though some unseen force compelled her to do so, Cagalli grasped it gently with both hands and she pulled it up to examine it. It looked just as bit girly and unlike her as it had at the store, and yet…

Glancing sideways at the large mirror against Stellar's wall by her closet, no doubt to help Stellar perfect whatever she was wearing on a day off from school, Cagalli swallowed nervously. Walking over towards the mirror, the dress in her hands, Cagalli stopped in front of it, and stared at her reflection worriedly. Slowly holding the dress up, she held the thin material against her body, and pressed it so that it might look as though she was wearing it, if not for her uniform she still wore.

Turning slightly to the side, Cagalli eyed the material, and tried to remember what it felt like on her skin. Tried to remember what it looked like on her. She sighed, and held the front with one hand as she lifted the side of the skirt some, swaying back and forth in a curious way. The girl was so engrossed with the reflection that she didn't notice the door crack open as Stellar began to walk back into her room. But the other girl froze, the door open enough to show her what her friend was doing.

A small, victorious smile played across the blonde's features as she closed the door a little bit just like before. It was going to be a cold day in hell tomorrow most definitely. Waiting a few moments, Stellar made a loud noise as though just coming down the hallway. Knocking on the door loudly, Stellar barged through, grinning normally as though she hadn't seen Cagalli admiring the dress.

But the girl did allow her eyes to widen when she saw her friend holding the dress like a child caught red handed with her hand in the cookie jar. "Cagalli! You can't ruin that dress! It was my birthday present to you, you can't tear it!" Stellar cried out, proud for coming up with her little charade so quickly. This way, Cagalli wouldn't feel humiliated in any way, and could keep any dignity she thought liking the dress might strip away from her. Not to mention, it seemed Cagalli really did want to wear the dress. Lucky for Stellar, who was currently having too much fun with her charade as she attempted to 'rescue' the dress from the 'evil' Cagalli.

* * *

The rain hit the umbrella with a dull spatter sound, and the two taking refuge beneath were rather pleased to be out of the wet. Though Lacus and Kira weren't holding hands anymore, and Lacus merely held his blazer around her, feeling just a bit cold. Every so often in-between their light conversation, she'd glance over to his hand closest to her, holding the umbrella, a slight longing in her eyes. She knew that with each step they were getting closer to the end of their time together that day…and she still hadn't mustered the courage to…

Kira stopped for a moment, holding the schoolbags he'd insisted on carrying under one arm as he brought his free hand to rub the hand holding the umbrella. A slightly agitated look crossed his features, and he felt a shiver run up his spine. He was glad to have stopped though because it just prolonged the inevitable separation looming ahead. Kira couldn't help when his eyes strayed to the side to watch Lacus as her own gaze swept across the wet yet apparently beautiful landscape. He wouldn't say the rain wasn't pretty in some ways, but he didn't see it quite the same as Lacus. She had a reason to love it.

But his rubbing one hand against the other caught the girl's attention, and she gazed at him for a moment before she held out a hand. "Here, switch those hands and hold mine," she offered, though a small blush crossed her cheeks. "Too keep it warm," she added quickly, and Kira nodded, just a bit shyly. It wasn't like they hadn't held hands before, their hands had practically been glued to each other earlier, but they'd never asked aloud.

Grabbing the handle of the umbrella with his other hand after slipping the smaller handles of their schoolbags over his wrist, he looked back at her outstretched hand. Reaching out, he took her hand hesitantly, and almost immediately, the contact between their skin sent shocks through them that weren't at all unpleasant. But neither made a sign, and Kira only pulled Lacus a little closer to him.

"The umbrella won't cover you all the way over there," he explained sheepishly, though Lacus didn't seem to mind. She could press her side against Kira's, and there was nothing odd about it. It was just her not wanting to get wet…just that…right? It wasn't because her heart pounded harder with every second they were so close. It wasn't because it felt as though millions of tiny shocks shot through her entire body from just feeling Kira's hand in hers, and his body so close…It wasn't because she had fallen so hard…It wasn't because she wanted this afternoon to last till forever and the day after…Right?

…Right?

When they came to a familiar intersection, Lacus and Kira both realized that they were going in different directions from there. Kira looked down at Lacus who was looking up at him, and he grinned nervously.

"You should take the umbrella, I've only got a little ways to go," he explained, though Lacus seemed to shake her head.

"No, it's all right! I don't mind this weather," she argued.

"But…well…" Kira paused, his eyes wide as though he'd thought of something scandalous, and he looked down at the wet cement of the sidewalk. "I…I'd really hate for you to have to walk home alone this late and in this weather…M-Maybe I could…" but the boy's voice failed him then, and Lacus quickly came to his rescue.

"Kira, could you walk me home?" she asked after only a moment, having made a snap decision that really didn't bother her in the slightest. More time with Kira was worth anything.

Kira brightened, and he smiled gladly, tightening his hold on her hand that pleased her to no known end. Soon enough, they were on sidewalks familiar to Lacus, and Kira looked around occasionally. Lacus had begun humming softly again, and Kira was silent to listen to it. The girl was a bit oblivious to that though, since her thoughts were racing a mile a minute. She would be home in a matter of minutes, maybe even seconds, and she still hadn't asked…

As though her luck had run out, Lacus was almost horrified to realize that her home was looming ever closer with every step they took on the sidewalk. When they passed one of the other homes beside hers, she finally found her voice to force out which one was her home. She was just a bit worried that Kira would be a bit intimidated to see the size of her house, though it's not like she asked to live in that accursed mansion house. But Kira didn't seem too surprised at all, and Lacus was grateful.

They stopped at the iron gate that circled around most of the property, Kira uncertain whether or not he'd come too far, or not far enough. Lacus reached through the bars to open the gate, and turned to Kira with pleading eyes. Just a little more time…give her just a few more seconds to muster up the courage to…to…

"Kira, can you walk me to the door?" she asked timidly, earning a small and shy, yet…relieved smile? The boy happily agreed, and Lacus led him up the cobblestone walkway to the front doors of her home. She took her schoolbag from him when he held it out to her, and she held it with one arm as she rested her free hand on the edge of his blazer that was hanging comfortably from her shoulders. She didn't want to take it off. She didn't want to walk through those horrid doors just yet, either. She was almost thankful when Kira broke the silence.

"Lacus…" Kira began; his eyes staring straight into hers and making her feel as though her skin was being licked by a flame. "I didn't…Lacus, I…" Kira stammered, unable to bring up the right words. Lacus felt her heart pounding against her ribs, urging her to hurry up and say what she'd been dying to say, but Kira found his voice. "I didn't just ask you to come with me for help today…" Kira finally got out, his voice growing just a bit stronger with each word as he forced them out.

"Lacus, I really wanted to say…All day, I've been wanting to," but before Kira could get his words out, Lacus released her hold on her trembling jaw.

"Kira…" she whispered, her voice faltering for a moment, as though she'd lost her breath. "I like you!" she exclaimed, her eyes narrow and lips tightened into a serious expression that really didn't fit the confession she'd just admitted. "I really like you…" she added, almost desperately in a soft and nearly pained whisper.

But before either could respond, a bolt of lightening flashed across the sky, a clap of thunder following not even a second after. Kira's hand shot out towards Lacus', and the umbrella fell to the ground with his blazer as his other hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her just a little closer. Their schoolbags were already on the ground, even before the umbrella, and their eyes were deadlocked in gazes of an almost panicked, yet determined expressions.

Before Kira could act, Lacus stood up on tiptoe to crash her lips against Kira's. It was like a magnetic reaction almost, and Kira's grip around her tightened. Her hands gripped the thin, soaked fabric of his black shirt, clutching it desperately. His hands burned her through her clothes, and her hands sent shivers through every fiber of his being. Lips were locked, and the slightly unpleasant feeling of teeth clashing against one another was felt, but neither would break away.

Their bodies were soaked and frozen, hair plastered over their faces and rubbing against the other's face, and rain just kept pouring down on them. They didn't really notice. All they could feel were the erratic pounds of the other's heart against their chest, the almost painfully blissful burning sensation making their skin tingle, and the slight taste of copper on their tongues from the accidental crash of teeth against the sensitive skin of the other's lip. Everything…the rain, the clouds, the thunder, the lightening, the houses, and every single blade of grass had disappeared.

All that was left was the fire so hot that it felt cold burning between them…and neither of them wanted to step away from the flames.

* * *

**Is it wrong if I feel just a little proud of myself? Well, I'm not proud of the Athrun parts, but eh…I was more interested in my thing with Kira and Lacus to really worry too much on all the other stuff. I hope you all liked? And also, I just want to mention again that the time skip will probably be after next chapter, and I want to warn you all: I will probably do some surprising things, things that not all of you will like. And also, I'm trying something like realism, in the fact that I'll be focusing greatly on personalities and whatnot, and the phrase stuck in my head is that "Nobody's Perfect." You can guess all you want what that all means, but I'm pretty sure (and kinda hoping) that I'll get some real WHOA moments in later chapters.**

**Also, I really love you guys. I'm sorry if it's so unprofessional of me to say it, but I really do love you guys, readers and reviewers. Due to some recent occurrences, I may have some good news to clue you all in on next chapter, but it's going to be a surprise till then…unless things don't work out as I'd planned…But still, I think it'll be a fun surprise.**

**Sorry to not really be responding to any reviews this time around, but thank you all for wishing me happy birthday and giving me the best gifts of all! You know my parents and brother were gone on the night of my birthday and I ate some of my ice cream cake all alone? How pathetic is that? But also, I realized that some inspiration for this story came from the show Degrassi and my unhealthy binges of said show every once in awhile, and in my opinion, that show had some pretty intense content…and it makes the cogs in my brain turn.**

**Well, I won't make a promise that I'm horrible to not be able to keep, but I really want to let you all know I want to update soon. Though a healthy supply of reviews (or unhealthy yet delicious oversized serving of reviews) will definitely force the inspiration and desire to please intensify. Now, to end the unnecessarily long Author's Note…**

**Love you all,  
****Sam **

**PS. I suppose that judging from some of the reviews, a few birthdays have passed? Well, happy late birthday to **forevertears **and **Ninja Stars**!**


	17. Peering Eyes

**For You and I**

I planned to get this chapter done before September started, but school's been hell…and I despise Spanish (No me gustan) and Chemistry. And I wish to apologize for this chapter…but I feel it's necessary…kinda like closing an arc…and not that I can promise anything, but I think Chapter 18 will be a little cool if I can get all to go according to plan…hopefully I'll get it done soon, school work permitting me! Along with this stupid writer's block moving out of my head…

**morbid333**, you have an interesting form of thought, but I've never torn off a callus so I don't really know what kind of pain that would bring…though I've never had a callus, either…But from my own personal experience, my nails would always hurt very badly if they ever broke too close to the fingertip, or when a stress attack made me bite them down really low. And the re-growth is always really painful for me…and I've pretty much made Miriallia a pretty worrisome and stressed out character so…

**Strawberry101**, though I realize that probably a good many of you are waiting for some Athrun Cagalli romance, I'm sorry to say that there's still some waiting to do. I feel she's a bit young at the moment, and Athrun's just not a guy that any sane person would want to be with right now. Just wait.

**Muibadah**, how about we settle for some virtual hugs and cookies? I love my virtual hugs and cookies!

**Deathwish911**, all I can say to you is that you have a very overactive imagination…and interesting words, but we'll just have to wait and see, huh?

All of your reviews are appreciated, and I love them all! And I feel really happy that you were just as happy as I was when Kira and Lacus finally kissed. It's nice to have that out of the way, and I'm excited for the upcoming events that I've been dying to write about! Now, if you'll enjoy the necessary filler chapter, as a sort of _calm-before-the-storm-closing-chapter _before a whole new arc of problems and ache, I'd appreciate it.

**Chapter 17 Peering Eyes**

The storm lasted throughout the rest of the night, slamming against the rooftops relentlessly with a dull roar. Thunder grew quiet as the hours became later, and the lightning retreated with it, flashing only a few times more as though trying to remind the humans below of its presence. By the time the sun would have risen to awaken the new day, the clouds were still heavy and pale gray, and a thick mist hovered over the ground and obscured the horizon, the air still wet with the promise of more rain. Keeping to that promise, by the time students began to head out of their homes to head towards school, the rain slowly began, urging on the careless that didn't bother bringing an umbrella to school faster.

By the time the first bell of class rang, students were already grumbling and gloomy as the weather outside the windows, and the rain began to fall just that much harder. But the weather wasn't deterring a small group of middle school students, who were rather cheery for the morning's circumstances.

Holding out her wrist upon Stellar's request, Cagalli tugged her uniform sleeve up just a bit higher and turned her hand palm up so that the fluorescent lights above could shed some light upon the accessory on her wrist. A small smile seemed to be tugging at the corners of her mouth, and the blonde girl forcefully tried to contain her own delight.

"Wow! It's so pretty, Cagalli!" Stellar exclaimed, her dark eyes marveled by the bracelet. Cagalli almost blushed.

"It's not that big of a deal, Stellar…" the blonde girl murmured bashfully, pulling back her hand to gaze at the silver bracelet. Twisting her wrist slowly, she watched the crystals of topaz shimmer in the school lighting. "Kira has always given me something pretty for my birthday," she added, as though trying to pass off the gift as something normal.

In all honesty, Kira had always given her such wonderful things, though they usually held some sort of sentimental value for them both. But this…Cagalli had been surprised by her older brother that morning when he'd handed over the satin box, insisting that she open it now instead of waiting. Despite what the thing was, Cagalli couldn't have been more pleased with her gift. It was just so pretty…and she found that if she really wanted to, she could easily hide it by pulling her sleeve a little lower. It was almost as though Kira had thought out everything for this gift…

"But it's just…" Stellar sighed, an exasperated smile on her lips. "Ah! I wish Neo would get _me_ something so nice for my birthday!" she cried, throwing her hands up in the air comically. "He's always gotten me something strange…Like last year when he gave me that bouquet made out of _candy wrappers_!" the blonde girl whined, slumping a bit to the side to rest her elbow on the desk, and her knuckles to her cheek.

Cagalli rolled her eyes, knowing full well that Stellar loved all of her older brother's presents as much as Cagalli loved Kira's. Neo was a bit of an artist, and despite having a pretty professional career, he sometimes went a little on the abstract side. And with his intrigue in sculpture, he liked using strange mediums, such as old Compact Disks or marbles, and the wrappers for Stellar's bouquet. He'd somehow sculpted flowers out of different colored foil wrappers, and Stellar had the bouquet in a vase on her nightstand still.

"You're lying," Cagalli teased, her eyes leaving her bracelet for a moment to send a catty leer to her friend, who merely pouted, and broke into a grin.

But before the girls had a chance to say anything more, someone stepped behind Cagalli, surprising her by grabbing her wrist and lifting it up into the air. A puzzled and annoyed glare flared over the blonde haired girl's features, and she looked over her shoulder to scowl at whoever it was bothering her. Odd enough, she wasn't really surprised to see Shinn staring at her gift. A confused expression crossed the pale boy's face, and he shook his head with a slight sigh. Stellar smiled weakly, and Cagalli lifted an eyebrow.

"I don't understand you girls," he mumbled after another moment, looking to Stellar now. "Someone gives you jewelry or whatever, and you're all gushy and happy and joyful and all that crap. _Why?_" he asked, or more demanded accusingly towards the two blondes.

"Well, pretty girls like to be around pretty things, so of _course_ we would be happy to have a pretty little thing for ourselves," Stellar said with a playful flip of her hair and a careless wave of her hand. Cagalli took the moment of thoughtfulness on Shinn's face to snatch her hand back, a malicious expression growing with the smirk on her face.

"That's just bull," Shinn replied, as though slightly annoyed. Stellar gave an airy '_hmph'_ for her reply to him, and went to inspect her nails, but when he glanced down to Cagalli, he failed to realize the potential behind her look.

"_That_…" the blonde girl drawled, toying with her bracelet aimlessly for a bit as her gaze wandered, just before lifting her golden eyes up to Shinn's dark red orbs. "Or Stellar's right. It would explain why you don't have a girlfriend, since what girl would want to beautify herself with _you_ hanging onto their hand?" Cagalli jabbed him with her finger cruelly in the stomach, knowing her words to sink right into place, which only made the distress and anger on Shinn's reddening face all the more entertaining. She crossed her legs and lifted her hand to get a clear gaze of her jewelry again before giving off a leisurely smile. "_I'd_ much rather stick to my bracelet, thank you very much." she teased, enjoying Shinn's suffering.

Stellar laughed, and Shinn grumbled something that made Cagalli smirk. The dark haired boy had a sort of defeated look on his face, but it quickly changed to one of an excited and obedient puppy when Stellar made a playful cooing sound and patted the empty desk behind her. Shinn tried to keep himself from hurrying too quickly, but Cagalli hid the roll of her eyes with her bangs. While Stellar continued her cooing and playful teasing with Shinn, Cagalli's gaze traveled around the room slowly.

Their teacher had yet to make her appearance, but that seemed to suit the students just fine, or most of them, anyway. There were a few up front who looked anxious, fiddling with their pencils or books, or repeatedly rifling through their papers to look busy. There were a few girls in the back flipping through some magazine, and chattering about something or other, and one of them gestured to her hair, and Cagalli guessed that she was planning to cut it or something. There were two boys in the back, sitting beside one another silently, yet serious and focused expressions matched their companion's. Judging from the way their shoulders kept moving slightly, the blonde girl guessed that they were playing some sort of video game on a portable underneath the cover of their desks.

Eyes wandering again, Cagalli didn't see much of interest, other than another classmate sketching, someone sleeping, and a boy and girl on the other side of the room with their heads pressed together with one earphone each, listening to some song on the MP3 the girl was scrolling through in one hand while her other was clasping the boys. It was all rather boring, until one of the boys playing the games mumbled something about murdering _Knuckles_ or something, and the other quickly retorting that _Silver the hedge-something-or-other_ was no match for _Sonic_. Cagalli didn't really get what they said, but the _Sonic_ sounded familiar…but hedge? Hedge what? She had the urge to get up and ask what they were doing, but she was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Stellar say her name,

"Hm? Sorry, Stellar, didn't catch what you were saying," the blonde girl admitted, shrugging her shoulders apologetically.

"I was just wondering if you found another flower in your locker this morning." Stellar said, curiosity lighting her eyes. Cagalli shrugged, leaning back in her chair with her arms behind her head. Though before she could answer, Shinn seemed to want to try and redeem himself of Cagalli's jab from earlier.

"I don't think this guy's all right in the head," Shinn murmured. "If he's secretly admiring Cagalli, then he must have been dropped on his head as a baby." he added, though his expression was a bit serious despite Stellar's giggle. The other blonde lifted an eyebrow, unable to help remembering the note she'd thrown away.

"Shinn, you need to come up with better material," Stellar giggled, poking his arm in a teasing manor, though Cagalli was surprised when Shinn didn't even flinch at Stellar's touch.

"Seriously, though…" the boy muttered, "You said you never gave your locker combination to anyone, and yet he breaks into your locker without battering the lock, and leaves flowers? And notes or something? It doesn't sit right with me, is all." he mumbled, averting his gaze just a bit embarrassedly for having bothered showing concern.

"That's sweet of you, Shinny Boy," Cagalli laughed, "But I don't think it's anything to worry about. After all, if it's really not just some trick, this person is acting really cowardly to have to get into my locker to leave flowers and notes. I don't think they'd try anything more than leaving a frog in my locker with a note saying that it's my 'Prince Charming,'" the girl explained, shrugging. Twin looks of surprise crossed Stellar and Shinn's faces, and they both stared at their friend silently for a few moments, the other girl seemingly oblivious.

"What? No sharp retort about your nickname, Shinn? I rather like it," Cagalli prodded, glancing over to them when neither made a sound. But she was confused by their expressions for a moment; till Shinn shook his head slightly and tapped his fingers on the desktop.

"Strange thing to bring up…" he murmured softly, confusing Cagalli for a moment, till a slightly peeved expression fell over her visage.

But before Cagalli could comment, Stellar interjected quickly, her words tumbling in a rather rushed way unlike her normally chirpy and cheeky way of speaking. "Hey! Shinn, you're mom will get those things for the party, right?" she asked, bringing both of her friends' minds to another topic. Cagalli muttered a '_Huh?_' and Shinn grinned weakly.

"Yeah, she said it'd be no problem, though she'd like to come over as well, she hasn't seen Cagalli or Kira in awhile, that all right Cags?" he asked, glancing towards the girl. Cagalli nodded approvingly, a small smile on her face. Ms. Asuka had taken an instant liking to she and Kira when she met them picking up Shinn from school one afternoon, and though Cagalli found it silly in an embarrassing way, the woman had often spoken with Kira asking about cooking or cleaning tips. Her brother really was a different person.

"Oh! Mayu should come, too! I've got some old clothes that don't fit me anymore, she might like them!" Stellar quipped in, smiling brightly.

"I'm pretty sure that'd be okay," Shinn answered, nodding. "My mom will get the party decorations, favors, plates and crap today, and drop us off after school at your place so we can set up." Shinn explained. "My dad's dropping Mayu off this afternoon, it shouldn't be any trouble for him to drop her off at Stellar's place instead…it is closer, anyway." the dark haired boy added.

"Is she only staying the weekend?" Stellar asked curiously, leaning back a bit.

"Yeah. But once Winter Break starts, she'll be staying with me and Mom for then and go back with Dad just before school starts up again. Mom's trying to work out having her longer, since Mayu hasn't stayed for very long lately," Shinn explained. Cagalli knew few of the details concerning Shinn's family, since she never really needed to know, and he never really seemed to want to share. Given the blonde girl's own circumstances, she was rather good about respecting someone's personal life unless they wished to talk about it.

Apparently, when he and his little sister were younger, their parents had split up and Mayu went with their father, and Shinn stayed with his mother, who oddly enough kept the Asuka last name. Though Shinn never really seemed bothered by it, besides missing his sister every now and then, Cagalli and even Stellar had noticed how sad he would be for awhile after one of Mayu's visits. The thought often arose within both blondes' heads that people who though splitting children in a divorce was the better idea had gotten it dead wrong. Stellar had once mentioned to Cagalli that when they were younger, it was much harder on Shinn, and Stellar guessed it was because he had more friends now that he could cope so well.

"Who's staying?" a voice asked, surprising the three. Turning, Cagalli grinned when she saw Ahmed. The dark skinned boy grinned back and took a seat in front of Cagalli, turning around in his chair to face them.

"Mayu is staying with Shinn for the weekend," Stellar replied.

"Really? So she'll be at the party?" Receiving a nod, the dark featured boy chuckled. "All right, the more the merrier! Oh, and happy birthday, Cagalli," Ahmed added, scratching the back of his head.

"Thanks, and why are you so late?" the blonde questioned, lifting an eyebrow. "And you're a bit wet…" she added amusedly.

The boy waved a slip of paper in the air, sighing to himself. "Well, I slept in this morning, and my dad didn't have time to drive me to school, so I'm a bit late and worrying about all my late days piling up…and the teacher's not even here! Some good sprinting this morning did for me," he said groaning.

The others laughed at the boy's expense, but Stellar stopped, staring at another of the empty desks in the classroom. "Speaking of who's not here…I didn't see Katie this morning…did any of you?" the girl asked, only to receive heads shaking. "That's really too bad, since I didn't have her number and couldn't tell her about the party last night…"

"Maybe she's late? She has been a little sick looking, so maybe she's coming down with a cold?" Shinn offered, which seemed to make the most sense. Stellar sighed disappointedly.

"But I really wanted her to come! And she hasn't even shown up!" she exclaimed, pouting.

"Aren't you acting a bit controlling there, Stellar?" Shinn asked. "I mean, it's Cagalli's party and—" but the boy didn't get to finish his sentence before the girl had whipped her hand around and then slammed his head into the desktop.

"But I've already got everything planned out, and it won't be too good if not everyone shows up!" Stellar hissed, eyes flaming. "And though it may be Cagalli's birthday party, I'm the one calling the shots, got it!?" the blonde demanded, smirking at the dark haired boy.

Shinn mumbled something somehow, what with being pressed into the desk, and it seemed to satisfy Stellar enough. Though once he sat up, breathing heavily and staring warily towards Stellar, he glanced over to Cagalli. "Are you really just gonna sit there and let her take over like that?" he asked, glancing with a tiny gulp in Stellar's direction when she turned her head just slightly towards him, eyes narrowed.

Cagalli smirked, and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Makes things a whole lot easier for me! I just have to show up, eat some cake, and I'm done," the blonde purred, smirking towards her friend. But Shinn merely glared, and turning to Ahmed, cleared his throat.

"Hey Ahmed, Cagalli got some bracelet from a boy for her birthday and she and Stellar were going gooey over it just awhile ago." and before Cagalli could send a death glare to Shinn, lunge at Shinn, or explain to Ahmed that that "boy" had simply been her brother, the dark skinned boy had already gone into a fit of questions.

* * *

The difference was subtle, unspoken; barely noticeable, but still there. Though not just anyone could see it with their eyes, there were still plenty few who could. But really, it _just didn't matter_. The din of the crowded hallways during a break between classes, the slamming of locker doors echoing into the crowd, or even the gloom looming outside of the windows in the darkened clouds…_it was all irrelevant_.

Their hands touched, fingers brushed, and slowly locked together as though in some sort of fluid motion. Skin touched skin, and filled their palms with warmth, chasing away anything unpleasant from their minds. Arms covered in useless fabric were close enough to touch, and her head was mostly close enough to rest on his shoulder.

But despite the fluidity of their movements and the seemingly natural flow, their eyes were still widening sometimes, or their lips pursing tightly to keep words in, or to keep the fact that there were no words hidden. And though no one really seemed to notice, or just didn't care, hints of red had flushed their faces and remained for long periods.

Just meeting that morning had been an affair, when Lacus had found Kira waiting by her locker. Slight trepidation had then flooded in her chest and made her throat ache, and memories of their kiss from last night flew through her mind, making her stop just an arm length away from the brunette as though not knowing what she would do…Or what she still could do. But with one glance into Kira's pale violet eyes, she knew, and her body knew, _that her hand was supposed to be in his_. Kira was almost surprised at her action, as he'd been looking just as hesitant before as she, but merely clasped his fingers around hers, and they were both rewarded with small, twin smiles that only made them flush.

Words were stumbled over, and eventually, Kira just gave up with a soft chuckle that made Lacus laugh silently. Really, she was just as much shook up in the mouth as he was, but she hadn't been the one to try talking. She leaned forward a bit, and pressed her forehead against his chest, just off to the side, and inhaled softly. Though it may have been strange to say, there seemed to be a scent that lingered with Kira, and it wasn't just the soap he'd used in the shower, or the smell of detergent in his clothes…It was a fragrance that was only…_Kira_.

"Morning," she whispered after a few moments of silence, lifting her head to look up at him with a smile.

"Morning," he murmured back, and disregarding normal limitations, the girl blushed cutely.

Honestly, the two could have stood their in their own little bubble for ages, hands clasped and warmth surging through their arms, but the warning bell had wrung, and they were shocked out of their daze. Hurriedly turning, they headed off to class, but their hands somehow remained intertwined and pressed between them. They didn't let go till they had to sit at their seats, and when they did, the boy swore he felt his arm go numb from cold.

The daily morning activities were done quickly, though mostly on everyone's part since, despite the weather, it was still Friday. The teacher announced an assignment after taking the attendance, and then called for everyone to get to work. But while everyone was busying themselves more or less with their books and the teacher busy with other things as well, the two teens were rather relaxed, regardless of their expressions. Lacus had leaned her temple onto her hand after propping her elbow on the desk, and this way she could cast a glance at the boy beside her when she wished. The boy seemed to have had the same idea, and on the many times that their pale gazes locked, twin smiles would stretch their lips, and they would turn back to the assignment with flushed cheeks.

* * *

While those two seemed to be enjoying themselves, there was another pair that weren't quite getting along as splendidly. More like the exact anonym of splendid. And it didn't help that the auburn haired girl was just as worried and distracted as she'd been yesterday, and over the same problem, too. Of course, there was also the thorn burrowing itself deeply into her side, and Miriallia had stopped to question herself on just how many classes she had with the blonde haired devil, and how she'd never noticed him in them before.

But this was thrown from her mind when upon searching her school bag for a pen or other such thing; she realized that something was missing. The girl couldn't quite put a name on it, but she just _knew_ that there was something not in there that really was supposed to be. Knitting her brows together, she wanted to pass the feeling off as just a side-effect of all her worrying and paranoia recently. Honestly, she was surprised that she wasn't suffering outwardly yet from her mental troubles.

Sure, there were slight bags under her eyes, and she flew off the handle rather easily, though mainly only with Dearka, and she would feel fatigue…but her physical appearance as a whole wasn't too obviously troubled, and the girl wondered if she should feel relieved or sickened. Besides the concern kept silent by Kira and Lacus, which Miriallia was grateful for, she couldn't help but sometimes wish that there would be someone to come along, realize all the trouble in the world, and offer to take it all away.

"_Take it all away…huh?_" she whispered to herself, a hand coming up to absently rub her wrist through her shirt sleeve.

"Don't you look happy this morning," a voice said to her, breaking her out of her small trance. The girl narrowed her eyes at the familiarity of the voice, and she turned to glance over her shoulder towards none other than Dearka himself. "Whatever you had for breakfast, you can give me a second helping," the young man went on to say, sitting himself down in the empty desk beside her.

The girl sniffed disapprovingly, and straightened in her chair. Not many of the teachers neither asked nor called for assigned seating, and besides her science class where there were assigned seats, she'd never been anywhere near Dearka, then alone next to him. It was only her bad luck that he happed to be seated right behind her in her science class, the one class she felt most comfortable in.

"Can't you sit somewhere else?" she asked coldly, crossing her legs in an agitated manor. But the blonde merely rolled his eyes and grinned with energy only a carefree boy like himself could.

"Well, I can…but I'd rather sit next to you," he replied, leaning his elbow on his desk. "And besides, friends sit next to one another so they can share notes, right?" he asked, though by his expression, Miriallia was a little wary and irked from his words. The tan skinned boy was then digging in his bag, and to Miriallia's horror, lifted up a familiar looking notebook.

"T-That's mine!" she stated, surprise clearly evident on her face which went ignored by the boy, who was busy flipping through the pages absently.

"Yup. And you take lovely notes, Miriallia," the boy added, his dark violet gaze falling on her. "Neat handwriting, but not something too stylistic like cursive, and you keep all your explanations clear." he went on to explain, opening the notebook to a seemingly random page, and pointing to an underlined and highlighted term. "I wouldn't have been able to understand that theory without your help, you're a real pal, Kitten," he mused, closing the notebook once more.

"Those are my notes! You stole my notebook!" she hissed dangerously, rage flaming behind her aqua glare.

Dearka laughed. "I didn't steal it; you just left it in the classroom the other day. I meant to give it back sooner…but why pass up the opportunity to catch up on some things I'd missed?" he asked with a shrug of his shoulders. Miriallia was fuming.

But before she could say another word, the teacher decided to begin class, and was quickly spouting out instructions. The girl reluctantly went to retrieve her textbook and notebook for that class, all the while glancing sideways at Dearka who seemed to do the same but with a grin on his face. The girl felt her chest constrict as her anger made her face heat up. _How dare he…_

Though in her own private musings, she'd missed much of what the teacher said, and realized ashamedly that she'd let something as trivial as Dearka Elthman ruin her usually perfect academic focus. It also took her a few moments to realize that Dearka had moved his desk closer to hers, closing the gap the aisle made between them. But judging by sounds and other students doing the same, Miriallia looked on in angered surprise when Dearka merely smiled at her.

Leaning forward, he began to flip through the book pages, as though meaning to do whatever the teacher had asked. But really, he just leaned closer to Miriallia to whisper, "So _partner_, I'll tell you what the assignment is, and give you back your notebook by the time you need it in class…_if you agree to something._" He grinned at her slightly irked yet surprised look. "I can tell when your mind wanders, Kitten, and you definitely had your head somewhere in the clouds during the explanation," he mused.

Miriallia narrowed her eyes and growled low in her throat, though this only made Dearka smirk. "I didn't know the Kitten was a tiger cub…" he murmured playfully, the joke completely wasted on Miriallia. The blonde took it to mean that she wasn't going to dignify his previous statements with a response. "Anyway…That condition is to work with me on this assignment, and to let me see your notes in our other classes if I need to, before I give you back your notebook, of course. And also…you'll have to meet me before lunch by the west entrance of the school. No one eats there, and it's close enough to the cafeteria that we won't be late meeting up with Kira and Lacus, deal?" the blonde asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We have science class before lunch," she snapped, eyes narrowing. Dearka rolled his.

"If you need it, I just might give it back to you," he said in a taunting way. "But otherwise, it stays with me," he stated, making her glare. "Now, is it a deal?" he repeated, smirking.

The girl pursed her lips, and glanced back down at the textbook. "_Fine_." she hissed, realizing that arguing really wouldn't get her anywhere. Dearka just absorbed her anger like nothing, and he would probably just add conditions. '_At least it doesn't look like he plans on burning it,_' Miriallia surmised, picking up a pencil to begin working. '_He'll give it back, I'm pretty sure. So playing along with his little game won't kill me or anything,_' she decided firmly, absently nodding her head when Dearka asked if she could begin a thesis statement while he worked on another part of the assignment. Really, she was surprised since he'd just given her the easier task right off the bat. The girl just hoped she wouldn't have to go back and correct all of his work. It would be too tiresome…and being tired reminded her of her sister, which only made Miriallia's problems sag heavily onto her shoulders once more.

* * *

Sitting up in the bed, the girl rubbed at her eyes wearily. The room was lit only by the lights ahead, and it seemed to give everything a sickly glow. It really wasn't a comparison Katie wanted to see. Holding back a yawn and failing, the girl noted with slight satisfaction that the curtain was pulled around her bed. Throwing back the thin white sheets, the girl swung her legs over the side of the slightly hard mattress, and stretched her arms slowly.

Aqua eyes falling to the end of the bed, she noticed her clothes, and reached for the uniform. Her shoes were resting on the floor within a reach of her arm, and she slipped into them easily.

Grabbing the thick white curtain, Katie pulled it back to step out of the small, quiet haven she'd been sleeping in just minutes ago. She winced when her stomach gave what seemed a jab, and a hand came to rest there over her black shirt. "I'm feeling better now," she said aloud, looking up to see if the nurse was anywhere nearby. The woman was just stepping into the bed area when the girl spoke, and smiled kindly towards her.

"Ah, Katie…Are you sure you're feeling better? I'm sure that your teachers wouldn't mind if you took an extra hour of rest, especially after your doctor informed us about…" but the woman's words trailed off when Katie flashed a smile that was much too cheerful.

"No, really. I'm feeling much better, and I want to get to class. I may not be counted as absent for sleeping in the clinic, but I'm still missing my lessons. I…don't want to fall behind." she explained, shrugging her shoulders a little helplessly. The nurse nodded, her eyes warm, but her expression a tad concerned.

"All right, I'll give you a note back to class…But be sure that you come here if you're ever feeling the least bit off. Dr. Monroe warned us to be watching out for any negative side effects of the drug you're taking. Has anything been strange as of late, dear? Headaches, nausea, any pain?" the woman asked, handing the girl her school bag.

Katie merely shook her head, that smile still plastered on her face. "Nope! I've been feeling great! Tired, sometimes, and I cough still, but nothing's any different in any bad way! I think I'm getting better," she said hopefully, easily convincing the nurse. After all, who couldn't believe a sickly girl claiming that she had hope she'd pull through? No one would contradict her.

And once the woman handed the girl a slip of paper, Katie left the nurse's office and came out into the empty halls of the middle school. Glancing at a clock on the wall, Katie saw that the current period would be finishing soon. Staring solemnly in the direction she was supposed to be heading, the girl began to take a few steps, but then stopped. Sighing quietly, she actually heard the acute groan in her stomach this time, and begrudgingly reached into her school bag, digging around for something.

What she pulled out was merely some sort of food bar, wrapped in shiny foil paper. Tearing it open, Katie furrowed her brow just remembering the taste. The bar was one of those weight gain things, and Dr. Monroe had suggested that Katie snack on them if her stomach was upset, and said it would also help her fatigue a bit, if only to give her body some vitamins and minerals that she needed…or something like that, anyway. Katie hadn't paid much attention to his explanation once she found out that instead of tasting like apples and cinnamon like the label boasted, it was more like cardboard sprinkled with powder of no taste.

Cringing with the first bite, she chewed quickly and swallowed. It was so dry and tasteless…but her stomach didn't so easily churn when the vile bars were the only food she ate. The thing was small, and she finished it rather quickly on her way to the bathroom, tossing the wrapper in the garbage can, and brushing the crumbs off of her fingers with her skirt. She wanted to check how she looked in the mirror before going back to class. She didn't want to appear like some sort of disheveled ghost to her friends.

* * *

"I still don't think it's fair!" Shinn complained to Stellar as they and Cagalli made their way to their lockers. Ahmed had gone off with another friend of his, promising to catch up to them later, and quickly turned his attention back to said friend to apparently discuss some sort of video game.

"Shinn, there's not really anything you can do about it," Stellar said, just a bit bemused. The dark haired boy groaned and ran his hand through his already messy hair, musing it even more.

"But the reading comprehension tests make no sense! I mean, everyone interprets literature differently, so why should we take tests that only have one right option!? I swear, it's not fair, and doesn't make sense!" he growled, making Stellar laugh.

Mainly so, because in his musings, Shinn had somehow caused his hair to fly up in every which way direction, and it was even more extravagant than his usually scruffy look. The dark eyed girl shook her head softly, and grinningly reached up to run her hands through the ebony locks. She had to stand on tiptoe to do it, but Shinn didn't really look like he minded very much. When the blonde was done, she chuckled to herself and rested her hands on Shinn's shoulders when pulling back to inspect her work.

"There, back to your usual unkemptness," she giggled, and completely pulled away to continue on with their merry way to their lockers.

Cagalli smirked towards Shinn, and raised her arms behind her head, her bag hanging from her elbow. The dark haired boy had retained a rather surprised expression during Stellar's little intervention. But Cagalli's attentions were taken from the two beside her when she spotted a familiar head of auburn hair.

"Katie!" Cagalli called out over the din of the hallway. The other girl turned, smiling at Cagalli when she saw the blonde. The girl then made her way towards the trio, coming from the direction of the restrooms Cagalli noted, but said nothing about. "Where've you been? You weren't in homeroom this morning, we all thought you were sick," Cagalli inquired.

"Well, I wasn't feeling very well when I got to school, so Miriallia suggested that I go to the Nurse's office and rest there for a bit." Katie explained, knowing that that bit of truth should satisfy them. After all, Ahmed was always getting sick, so her being ill shouldn't surprise them much.

Stellar was immediately at her side, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Well, you don't feel warm…do you think it's anything contagious?" the blonde girl asked, and Katie quickly shook her head.

"Trust me, it's not. There's no reason for any of you to worry about catching it from me," Katie explained, laughing just a bit. Stellar grinned, and slung an arm around the girl's shoulders.

"Well then, there should be no problem in you coming to Cagalli's birthday party tonight at my house!" the blonde chimed, surprising the girl.

"We would have called you last night, but none of us had your number," Cagalli added, shrugging sheepishly.

"Sorry about the short notice," Shinn added. "But I did talk to my mom, and she'd be fine giving you a ride home, since she planned on taking us over to Stellar's house right after school, anyway," Shinn explained.

Katie looked between the three, clearly a bit overwhelmed. Smiling just a bit nervously, the girl cleared her throat. "Well, I can't really refuse, but I don't have anything for you," she said to Cagalli, who waved her hand.

"I don't need anything. It's just a party conveniently placed on my birthday," Cagalli said with a smile and a shrug, and Katie seemed a bit appeased.

"But, my big sister might…" again, the girl was interrupted.

"She's invited, too," Stellar stated. "Kira's supposed to ask her and Lacus if they can come, so there's no problem."

Katie looked between her friends and sighed, smiling with a shrug. "I guess I'm coming then," she replied, getting grins from the others.

* * *

It seemed that the ringing of the lunch bell was a savior, and Miriallia thanked whatever greater force had willed it, having decided that clocks were the works of Satan. Finally, a reprieve from Dearka's twisted ownership over her, or at least ownership of her notebooks. It seemed that he had purposefully taken bad notes to constitute borrowing each and every single one to copy from. Near the end of one of their shared classes, Miriallia suspected that he was merely taking them to annoy her, but still, he had her science notebook.

Science class had failed her, as well. Instead of going over a new segment or reviewing a chapter, they'd had a substitute and the woman had merely asked that they watch an out of date movie on some subject Miriallia had gone over at her old school months ago. At least it hadn't been behind as far as she'd feared; apparently the poorly funded public schools were up to date with the golden private schools. But returning to point, she hadn't needed her notebook; therefore Dearka hadn't had to give it back to her early.

Now, rushing through the hall to get to the west entrance, Miriallia was ready to tear a certain blonde apart. What surprised her was that the halls were rather less crowded the further she got away from the cafeteria and outdoor compound. Apparently, the students who had lunch this period truly did like the break. It didn't matter much at all to her, though, since the fewer people around, the happier she'd be. She couldn't stand this school, save for the few teachers and other students she'd managed to befriend, Kira and Lacus at the top of that list.

Reaching the doors, Miriallia pushed one open, possibly with a little more force than necessary, but that was only a possibility. A bit worried that Dearka wouldn't be true to his word and be there waiting for, Mir narrowed her eyes and walked out to the edge of the concrete stair. But before she could get angrier or panic over Dearka's absence, she saw the blonde sitting at the bottom of the stair, his bag resting next to him, and a basketball in his hands that he tossed up and down rhythmically.

Clearing her throat, the girl caught his attention. Catching the ball, the blonde looked over his shoulder to her, and grinned. Mir stiffened. He looked as though he was greeting a friend.

"Give me back my science notebook, my part of your stupid deal is over," she declared. Dearka grinned, though it wasn't one of those shit-eating-grins the girl had gotten used to over the past few classes.

"All right, I'll keep to my word," he replied, placing the ball down so that it wouldn't roll away, and reaching into his bag for a familiar notebook. Miriallia couldn't help trying to snatch it away as he stepped up the stairs and came close enough to strangle. But the girl held herself back, and waited for the blonde to hold the book out.

When he did, though, Miriallia almost felt…she didn't quite know, but it was something akin to…disappointment. With a startling realization, Miriallia cringed inwardly. She was expecting the blonde to make some sort of joke, hoping for it almost, if only to retain the normalcy of her current day. But pushing that all away, the girl took her notebook back, though she surprised the blonde some when she hesitantly took her book back, and then placed it into her bag. Mir didn't bolt off right away, like she'd planned and Dearka had expected, but this worked better for the blonde anyways.

"Well, I've got to be going. I'm meeting Kira and," Mir began to explain, turning away with her eyes averted. She'd made the mistake of looking the boy in the eye, and though they didn't know each other well, Mir knew the look in his eyes. The same as that afternoon he'd showed up in front of her house, he looked like he wanted to talk about something that she really didn't want to.

"Miriallia, wait a minute," the blonde asked, reaching out after a moment to grab her arm. She tensed immediately, and he felt it. The blonde wondered if she really felt threatened enough to try and punch him in the nose again. He narrowly missed a broken one the other day, he didn't want her to do the job right this time – he loved his perfect face the way it was.

"What the hell," Mir snarled, glancing over towards him with sheer annoyance. But seeing the serious expression on his face, the girl felt her temper cool down almost too quickly.

"How…how's Katie been?" he asked after a bit of difficulty. Miriallia's anger disappeared completely after he spoke the words and she had time to process them. A look of surprise crossed her face, but then she found herself, and the auburn haired girl attempted to look the blonde boy in the eye. She found that she couldn't, and instead jerked her arm away so she could cross both across her chest.

"She…Katie's been doing fine, she'll be just fine," Miriallia murmured, the words feeling more like a mantra than a response.

Dearka's eyes narrowed, and a look that truly could have been one of concern crossed his visage.

"How 'bout you?"

His voice felt like a knife to her chest, and Mir knew she couldn't look him in the eye now. Stupid…god damned stupid prick…He'd seen her in class! He'd seen her in science, the class she was always paying attention to, the class where she always raised her hand to answer a question, and over the past week she'd nearly fallen all over herself if not for the blonde scourge's help.

"I've been fine, too," she huffed, turning and full ready to leave. The girl knew that she had to leave, so that the truth wouldn't grip her and make her see it, in all its horrible glory. But Dearka was too fast and a step ahead, and reached out to grab her, by her wrist this time. Mir winced, his fingers having found the one sore spot that was still healing.

Turning her back around, Dearka grabbed her other wrist, wrenching it away from her side, really, and held her hands out between them. Mir watched him and her hands, glancing back and forth between the two wildly, surprised by the situation. She hadn't even registered that she'd dropped her school bag.

Holding her hands up some, Dearka stared intently at her fingernails, noting the way she was shaking slightly, and struggling to rip her hands out of his grip that was far stronger than it should have been. All thanks to the differences in their genetics that made her naturally weaker.

"I don't think this is '_fine_.'" he whispered, looking up from her fingernails to her aqua blue eyes, capturing her gaze in his dark violet stare.

"You don't know anything," Miriallia whispered back, voice shaky and panicked, unable to look away. It was only when Dearka let go of one of her wrists and his free hand brushed over her hand, fingertips running over her palm, and then brushing over the top. He nudged her sleeve, and she tried to jerk her arm away.

But it was the wrong decision, and Miriallia felt her breath catch in her throat when Dearka's bronze fingers ghosted over a faint line of an old scar. Also a wrong decision, one that could ruin everything. Dearka looked up at her, and then back down where her eyes hadn't meant to flash, and the blonde furrowed his brow when he thought he saw a strange mark against her skin…a thin, pale white line against the skin of her wrist…

And then Miriallia was jerking her arm away hard enough to hurt herself, gasping something out that sounded like, '_Don't touch me!_' and then she was running back through the door and down the hall…and the door closed and Dearka couldn't see her anymore.

* * *

After spending what could have been hours, but was really only minutes at best, Miriallia had caught her breath enough to make her way to the cafeteria. A bit worried, the girl scanned over the crowded space, what with no one being able to eat outside due to the weather. But as though something was going right for her, the girl found Lacus' bright head of hair, and made her way to a table in the corner of the cafeteria where her two friends sat.

What she saw surprised her a bit, but it wasn't really totally unexpected. Kira and Lacus were sitting next to one another on one side of the booth, and the distance between them was noted as very little.

"Hey, Miriallia, you look a little flustered. Are you all right?" Kira asked, looking over to the girl. Lacus did the same, and gave the girl a worried look, noticed the gaunt expression on the other's face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I thought I lost a notebook, but I found it, so no worries," she lied, sitting down across from the two. Kira nodded, smiling softly. It didn't reach his eyes, and Miriallia noticed it, along with Lacus' continued look of concern. Sure, Miriallia liked having them both as friends, but having friends that really cared made things so much more complicated.

"I'm glad, then. It's really nerve wracking to lose a notebook," Lacus sympathized, recalling the other day and her own mishap. Kira seemed to blush a bit at that, but covered it up quickly by taking a sip from his water bottle, then asking rather nonchalantly if anyone else felt a bit warm. It didn't pass by Miriallia.

But instead of pointing it out, the girl merely smiled at the two and leaned back against the back of the booth. That was probably the only good thing about eating inside, besides the smells of food filling the room, being able to rest against something other than a tree that you didn't always get to sit against.

"Oh, Miriallia, there was something I wanted to ask you," Kira brought up, Lacus smiling a bit as though she already knew what he was going to say. The short haired girl nodded, asking him to go on. "My little sister's birthday is today, and a friend of hers is having a party tonight. Katie is invited as well, and the mother of one of my sister's friends can drive you home afterwards," the brunette added, smiling hopefully. "Do you think it'd be all right if you came?"

A bit surprised, Miriallia couldn't help but smile. Being out of the house a little longer, and for Katie to have some fun would be a nice change. "Yeah, I'm sure it'll be fine. I'll just have to call my…I'll just have to call sometime after school so no one at home worries." Mir covered, wondering why she'd even bothered saying it. Her mother was either getting trashed at some bar or at home, or was passed out on the couch. Ray would be working late that night, probably not getting home till early next morning…Mir wondered if she said it to sound normal.

Other kids would let their parent know where they were or were going to be…right? Mir didn't really know, not after ten years of being a mother to her sister, a nurse to her mother, learning to forge her mother's signature for field trips, and worrying about how they could keep their shitty house till Ray came along. No, Mir didn't know what it was like to have parents, because she'd spent her entire childhood learning how to be one, not how to be taken care of by one.

"I'm glad you can come! It'll be fun, for all of us," Lacus smiled, reaching across the table to pat Miriallia's hand in a kind manner. Mir smiled back, and looked back to Kira. Though he looked just as happy as Lacus, he didn't look satisfied.

"Though, you will be riding with the kids in Ms. Asuka's minivan to the house," Kira added, watching when Miriallia's expression fell into one of amusement and annoyance.

"What?" she asked, not believing him.

"Well, unless you'd rather walk with Lacus and I…but your sister will probably want to ride with the others." Kira noted, watching when Miriallia seemed to begrudgingly accept the kid-filled car. He smiled, and Miriallia wondered if that was really just his conniving face.

* * *

The day was long, but luckily would soon be pulling to a close. It seemed that that was the only reprieve of the day, and the blonde was ready for it, whole-heartedly. The day hadn't been fun, and Dearka was getting annoyed of the taunting, the shoving, and dropping his crap. After the incident with Miriallia was the worst, since Dearka's mind was all jumbled up.

She had skirted around his questions, she was so panicky and nervous…something had to be wrong with her…and what was with that mark? After mulling over it for the entire lunch period, and for the better part of the following class, Dearka wasn't even one hundred percent sure that he'd even seen it. Maybe it'd just been a trick of the light?

Deep in thought as he was, Dearka was still able to see the head of silver among the few other students walking through the hallway at that moment. Looking up, the blonde haired teen was glad to see his friend, and with no Athrun in sight. Maybe Yzak would listen to him if Zala wasn't around to bring out the worst in all of them.

"Yzak," the blonde greeted, walking over to the other despite the pale featured boy seemingly ignoring the other. "Hey…you okay?" Dearka asked after a moment, his expression falling from hopeful to concern within that small sentence. The other didn't look like…well, Yzak. His friend looked like something was stuck on his shoulders, and had no way to alleviate the pressure. Yzak never looked troubled.

"The hell it matters to you?" the other teen snapped sharply, practically snarling at his friend.

The blonde was taken aback by the sudden hostility, and actually took a step back. Yzak noticed, and looked away gruffly, grumbling something Dearka didn't quite hear. Though the outburst wasn't far from his friend's character, Dearka wasn't going to deal with people not telling him what was wrong anymore today.

"Yzak," Dearka said quietly, given their location being in a hallway, but his tone serious. "Is it about your mom?"

The look on the pale boy's face was one of shock and surprise, and one that no one had ever seen on him before. Anyone but Dearka, anyway, but Yzak hadn't been that surprised since they were ten and had to take their first in-depth health class talking about the joys of puberty. Yzak was never troubled, and he was never surprised. But right now, at that moment, he looked like someone had pulled a knife on him, and gave him a choice of where to stab first.

* * *

The sky was dark and threatening rain, but the students were simply glad that it was no longer pouring. As the middle schoolers milled about, either waiting for their rides, friends, or simply jumping about in puddles, the high school students were released and made their way out of the front entrance doors. Kira and Lacus were walking close as they had been all day, and Miriallia was toting along beside Lacus, refusing to walk behind the pair.

The younger teenagers were waiting for them, and Cagalli waved hello to Kira rather enthusiastically. The blonde girl didn't even give a second glance towards the close proximity between her brother and Lacus, and merely strode over to casually hug her brother with one arm.

"Kira!" Stellar exclaimed happily, bounding over to her best friend and her brother. The dark eyed girl stopped just inches away and only seemed to sneak closer when Cagalli pulled away from the embrace. Eying the brunette with something akin to interest, Stellar sidled closer to hug the older boy. "I haven't seen you in so long! It's so great that you can come to the party tonight!" the blonde exclaimed, unaware of the incredulous ruby stare not but a few feet away.

"It's…nice to see you again, too, Stellar," Kira replied, chuckling softly. "Ah, this is Lacus, and Miriallia," Kira gestured to both girls, and Stellar grinned to both, sticking out a hand to both of them.

"Nice to meet you, especially Katie's older sister!" Stellar added, grinning to Miriallia. "You two really look similar!"

"From our mother," Katie piped up from standing beside Ahmed and Shinn. Stellar nodded to Katie, not seeing the look Miriallia held at those words.

"Well! Shinn's mom will be here any minute, we should get ready to leave!" the blonde girl declared. "Oh, but introductions! Lacus, Miriallia, Shinn and Ahmed. Lacus, I'm sure you can tell which one's Katie. And now we're done…"

"Stellar, Ms. Asuka just pulled up into the pick up line," Cagalli informed her, watching in amusement as Stellar nearly spun trying to see. "Might as well get going then, what with the rest of the party having some assembly required," the blonde mused.

"My sister will be showing up around five-thirty, so I want to get the decorations and everything ready by then so we can start," Shinn let the others know as the group began walking. Kira and the others followed with amused looked, and Mir watching as Stellar seemed to drag Katie right behind her. Though she disliked however rough the blonde girl could possibly seem around the edges, Mir was glad to see a smile on Katie's face. The kind that you see and know that that person is feeling wonderful at that moment.

"All right, Lacus and I will get going, since we don't want to get caught in the rain," Kira said to the other girl, Lacus standing at his side. Mir nodded, and looked back to the younger kids.

"Sure I can't just walk with you? I don't think I can sit with five middle schoolers for a whole car ride…" the aqua eyed girl grumbled. But with a slight grin on her lips, both Lacus and Kira caught the joking hint.

"Wouldn't you rather show up in style than a little wet and soggy?" Lacus asked, and Miriallia smirked.

"The minivan is the new black this year…" she joked. "I suppose I'll take the wheels over pain in my heels," she mumbled aloud, walking over towards her sister.

The silver minivan awaiting the party-goers was actually not as dorky as Mir had initially imagined. It was a newer model, and not as oldish looking as she'd pictured. Shinn apparently gave up shot gun to Ahmed, to sit next to Stellar apparently, and Mir could hear him introducing Katie and herself to his mother as he climbed into his seat. When Katie slipped in next to Cagalli, Mir heard Shinn's mother say hello, and decided that she liked the woman already, just by the tone of her voice.

But before she herself could step inside, she felt a strange sensation creeping up the back of her neck. Glancing over her shoulder curiously, Miriallia didn't know why, but her eyes were drawn to something violet and blonde. The gaze of Dearka Elthman, all the way across the campus caught hers, and Miriallia found herself frowning, but not out of malice or anger. Just…not knowing what she was supposed to do. But after only half a second, she was climbing into the car, and settling in the seat next to her sister, and saying hello to Ms. Asuka. An attractive woman with black hair like Shinn's down to her shoulders, and sweet brown eyes that were everything with the word motherly in it. This woman was definitely likable.

* * *

Stellar and Neo lived in a simple, two story house not but a minute or two away from the school by car. Miriallia liked the simplicity of it, though anything looked nicer than the Haww's own decrepit residence. Setting up for the party didn't take long, though Stellar had whisked Cagalli off to her room as soon as they got there, only to drag the golden eyed girl back to the others wearing a green dress none of them had expected Cagalli would ever wear. Stellar merely grinned whenever Cagalli sent her a burning glare. Stellar seemed to have a bit of a control issue, Miriallia noted, though she only seemed to exert it over Ahmed and Shinn, who were dancing around as it was doing this and that for Shinn's mother and Neo while setting up.

Kira and Lacus arrived about twenty minutes after them, having run up the porch steps while laughing cheerfully about something, both with damp heads and shoulders, and Kira's wet blazer serving as some sort of cover from the sprinkling that had developed into a soft downpour. Ms. Asuka had given them both towels and taken the wet blazer, saying she'd dry it for Kira, and he and Lacus had gone on straight to helping with the decorating, after Lacus had successfully mused Kira's damp hair with her towel. Kira merely got her back with his own.

Shinn's father had brought Mayu at the expected time, and introductions had been a bit hectic, between Stellar trying to introduce everyone to her and the other way around at once, and Shinn trying to keep Stellar away from his sister for only a few moments while he and his mother got a chance to greet her. The young girl had been ecstatic to meet her older brother's friends, especially the new ones. The quiet little sister and Katie seemed to hit it off quickly.

By the time food was ready, decorations were finished, and everyone had had a Stellar-Overload, everyone except Shinn, the party finally started. Appetizers were small and green in the healthy way, courtesy of Ms. Asuka. Of course everyone would have to eat something healthy before diving into some cake made out of sugar.

Though Cagalli asked that they not make a big deal out of her birthday, everyone sang the traditional song, and Neo produced the right number of candles. It didn't take long for her to make a wish, and the candles were blown out quickly with a chorus of applause. Pieces of cake were cut, and passed out among them, everyone waiting for Cagalli to take the first bite before digging into their own piece.

Miriallia expressed some concern for Katie, but the long haired Haww merely laughed and ate a large mouthful of cake out of spite. Cagalli and Stellar were amusing themselves by poking the other with their spoons while eating, and leaving frosting in odd places on their faces. Stellar remained cleaner than her blonde best friend, thanks to Shinn wiping away the frosting from her face every time Cagalli poked her.

Mayu was enjoying the ruckus, eventually getting Ahmed, Katie, and Miriallia to play some card game she'd learned not too long ago. It was rather simple, though made little sense at the same time. Nonetheless, it was entertaining.

As the party progressed, Kira and Lacus would chat with the others, but somehow always found themselves right back at square one, right next to each other. When the brunette was speaking with Ms. Asuka about something, he noticed Lacus stepping outside on the front porch. Excusing himself politely, he too made his way outside.

Lacus was leaning against the house, holding her plate with her second small piece of cake absently, spoon resting on the edge of the dish. The girl's gaze was out past the small outcrop of roof covering the porch, staring up at the blotchy sky. The rain had stopped, and though clouds remained, there were still starry patches of dark indigo up in the sky.

"Having fun?" Kira found himself asking, standing beside her. He scooped some cake into his spoon, and ate it quickly, waiting for the girl's answer.

"Yes, of course I am." Lacus replied quietly, turning her head to smile warmly up at Kira. "This is the most fun I've had in a long time, excluding running in the rain yesterday," she added, giggling. Kira grinned, and ate another bite of cake.

"I was wondering why you came out here," he mentioned, a few moments after swallowing.

"I just wanted to get some fresh air," she replied. "The air is nice after it rains, given the temperature isn't too warm."

"Hmm…" Kira hummed, agreeing. Reaching over for her plate, Lacus gave him a curious smile as she handed it over, only for him to put both plates on the floor of the porch. But her curiosity was soon sated when the tall boy turned back to her and reached out with one hand to tuck a loose lock of pastel hair behind her ear.

Blushing, Lacus smiled and lifted up her own hand to press Kira's against her cheek. Pale violet eyes widened some, but the boy still smiled, albeit it was a shy one.

"You've made the past two days really great, you know that?" Lacus asked softly, stepping just a bit closer. Kira felt his heart skip a beat.

"I'm glad, but you've made things a lot better to. Don't give me all the credit." Kira replied, rubbing his thumb over her skin. It was funny how before yesterday, they'd blushed at almost every little touch…but now there was just…it was like a heavy weight was lifted and they just knew what they were supposed to do.

Lacus looked like she wanted to say more, but stopped herself. Something about the moment was just…The air was cool to the skin, but not uncomfortably so, her skin felt soft under his hand, his stare made her feel warmth in her chest, and all she wanted to do was stand up on tip toe and…But Kira tilted her face upwards, and leaned forward slowly, cautiously, till their lips met.

It was nothing like their first kiss, which had been spur of the moment, a clash of teeth and skin. This one was far more slow, and gentler. But Lacus couldn't compare them, because one, Kira was kissing her, and two, she couldn't think much else.

Through the window nestled in the front, giving a view of the porch, a set of golden eyes watched. Cagalli turned her attention away from the shapes of her brother and Lacus and back to the card game she'd joined, along with Shinn and Stellar. Mayu had given up trying to explain every little detail to Miriallia, but the older girl was still somehow winning.

The night was perfect. It was happy, it was perfect, and nothing was about the darkness. It wasn't about the fading bruises littering Kira's body. It wasn't about the devil waiting for Lacus at home. It wasn't about Katie's cancer. It wasn't about stupid blonde pricks with intense violet eyes. It was about the light, and that light was with everyone, at least for those few hours. Then the darkness could return, but not before then.

From across the street parked in another driveway, through the open window of a car that didn't look very wet, a camera lens focused on the teenagers outside of the house. A few clicks of a button signified the taking of a couple photos, and it was focused again. Being very careful to keep the shot still and just perfect, the photographer waited patiently to get a clear shot, and snapped another few photos. Satisfied, the camera was returned to its bag resting in the passenger side seat, and a notepad was taken up. Scribbling something down, the photographer sat back, taking a sip from a coffee that had gone cold, eyes trained on the couple.

**All right everyone, how's that ending for a cliffhanger? I must say, I apologize uber for this chapter. It wasn't meant to be this long, and it wasn't meant to take this long. Next chapter will definitely have some action…and I hope that you're all enticed by the few good tidbits of teasers I fit into here. Remember, time skip next chapter. I'm not too great with that, but I'll try to make it tasteful and work. I also will say that I just do not like this chapter, but looking over my foreshadowing, I do like how I did that. **

**Writing this chapter, I just wanted to get to chapter 18 already, and with Thanksgiving Break coming up for me, and Christmas Break, I'll have some time on my hands, so I promise to make it a top priority goal of mine to DEFINITELY have 18 done before January, but please review regardless! I'd love to hear any predictions you all might have about what happens in the future…**

**Oh, just to let you all know about a few things in this chapter…At my school, the nurse will let you stay in the clinic and sleep if you're not feeling well, and it's not counted as an absence or anything in class. When we do have homeroom, my teacher sometimes doesn't show up till the end of it, as well. I don't know why they call it a shit-eating-grin (since in my opinion that sounds like something bad), but I like the phrase. I hate watching science videos since they're more boring than not having anything to do. I know it's weird, but I eat cake with a spoon, I know most use forks, but oh well.**

**Lovingly yours, **

**Sam**

**Ps. FFN changed the layout…I'm not sure if I like it yet, anyone else feel a bit bugged by it?  
PPs. I've been thinking of possibly getting a Beta, but I'm not sure yet...So if any of you are up to fixing my mistakes, I just may ask for someone's services in the near future.  
PPPs. There's your Sonic, Johnathon.**


	18. Her Ring

**For You and I**

Sorry for the late update, everyone, really I am. But I've had a lot of problems in real life, and now that I've got summer, I'm hoping to slip off into my fantasy world where I control everything and my precious readers make me feel the warmth of love. Here's to fanfiction and drowning away life's problems! Oh, and thank you, those of you who messaged me, it was a good kick to my caboose to get me back into action. Here's chapter eighteen everyone, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing this one.

**Chapter 18 Her Ring**

How can you really measure time? Is it in seconds, minutes, hours, and weeks perhaps? Or maybe the slashes of red across the boxes on a calendar, maybe just by the glowing numbers on a bedside table clock. Time has the ungodly ability to make things much longer than they need to be, or far too short to satisfy a hunger. In this instance, time had acted cruelly and kindly within one breath, batting about those helpless in its stream.

Some may not think much of it, but time can be measured in other ways. The sound of the clock ticking is never always the answer. You can measure the passing with bruises and tears, cuts and bandages, and the many times you avoid looking in the mirror. But you can also measure it in sly brushes of a hand against another's, or the flash of pale eyes staring back at you, and most preciously, measure the days by the fleeting smiles that crack masks of near shattered porcelain.

Another brush of the hand, another bruise, another smile, and another whispered secret that really meant nothing, and a month had flown over the ugly yet beautiful world. The warm autumn had begun to give over to the cold and quickly approaching winter. Frosts had blanketed the grass in yards for many a morning, melting reluctantly when the sun broke through the thickening clouds. Air had become chilled, filling with the warm clouds of panted breath, and the nights had become cruel to exposed fingers, noses, and lips, turning them red with cold and cracking soft skin. On rather wet days, a thin fog would settle over the streets, creating an eerie landscape and making the regular day-to-day sights mysterious and lonesome.

There was little warmth to be found, but there was certainly a comforting ember to be sought in his hand, and she gladly accepted it. Brushes of the hand had settled into firm holds, often reluctant to let go when the time came, whether for the lack of warmth or the lack of contact, most times both. Taking long, usually confusing routes back home after school, they were allowed more time to hold one another's presence, and that was almost enough.

Leaning against his arm, Lacus squeezed Kira's hand in her own, smiling softly to herself when he did the same. School had been over for nearly an hour, but they were in no hurry to return home, to where time stopped being measured in seconds. Looking up towards him, Lacus grinned back when he glanced down to her, and they stopped for a moment. Lacus stood in front of him, setting down her schoolbag before using her free hand to urge him to do the same. Smiling amusedly at her, Kira did so and couldn't help the small splash of heat on his face when she held both of his hands.

Pleased with his reaction, Lacus pulled them closer so that they were pressed flush against each other, and their gazes locked.

"What," Kira began to murmur, but before the question could pass his lips, Lacus smiled and pulled herself up to press her lips against Kira's. The boy was a bit surprised, but nonetheless kissed back gently. Parting after a few moments, they both grinned at each other's blush, and laughed at their own shyness.

"Can we go to the park? Or do you have to go home?" Lacus asked, her voice hopeful, though mentioning Kira's home, her eyes narrowed slightly as they fell on the small bandage over Kira's right eyebrow. He'd said that he banged his head into a doorway last night…but Lacus was getting tired of hearing every convenient explanation he had for his injuries, minor and major. Just two weeks ago he'd had three fractured fingers which he'd said happened when he accidentally closed a door on them, which wasn't really far from the truth. What he hadn't told her was that…it just hadn't been his own fault.

Feeling his fingers idly with her own, she couldn't help enjoying the firmness of his hands. They were better now, and there was no trace of the injuries, but the memory had stuck, and Lacus feared what would happen to those beautiful hands next…what accident that the usually ever graceful Kira would happen into.

Kira didn't even have to think about her request, really, since Cagalli had messaged him before school was out that she'd be going over to Stellar or Shinn's house, as she had been doing on and off for the past month. Her and her friends had been spending a lot of time together recently, but Kira was relieved and glad, because the more time she spent with them, the less time she spent at home. Also, to his advantage, his newly freed up time could be spent with Lacus.

"Sure," he decided, before they retrieved their bags and resumed walking hand in hand. Lacus smiled and contentedly held Kira's left arm close, her hand gripping his affectionately while her thumb absently rubbed the skin of his hand she could touch.

They'd stumbled upon a park while wandering around just about a week or so ago, and had been pleasantly pleased to know that because it was older, few people came to it anymore, opting to bring their children to the larger park by the elementary school. Their park hadn't had much maintenance over the past few months it appeared, but the wild look of the bushes, trees, and other foliage didn't appear neglected, but free. The greenery chose how it grew, and despite the idea seeming silly, Lacus and Kira had felt inspired by it. By the few entrances to the park, tall bushes grew with outstretched limbs, as though guarding the secret place now.

When they came across one such barricaded entrance, the boy and girl ducked under the thin branches, and stepped into the desolate yet peaceful park. Lacus dropped her bag on one of the old weathered benches, not really caring about it any longer. Kira did the same, but he paused a moment before joining her again. The long haired girl absently strode through the old park, eyes falling over the old playground and swings, sweeping over the very old picnic tables on the far side, and finally resting on the low wall made of brick that ran along a good distance of the side of the park. From the waist-height wall rose tall chain link fencing, surely built to keep small children from falling over the ledge.

The park sat along the edge of the residential district where Kira and Lacus lived. Beyond that wall was a lone piece of the harbor that led out towards the city and beyond that the beachside where a lake poured into the ocean. But the view of the lonely waters of the harbor below was breathtaking, especially when the waters were gray as slate and fog hovered over the quietly lapping waters. Making her way towards the wall, Lacus lifted her hands and locked her fingers through the diamonds in the fencing, staring out into the harbor.

There wasn't quite any fog today, but the waters lay gray and beautiful, forbidding and chilling. Smiling gently, she closed her eyes and breathed in the wet, fresh scent of the water, and the abandoned park. It was so quiet; birds were no longer singing either, most having flown someplace warmer for the season. Lacus liked it. This place was different from the rest of the world and its horribly ugly features and troubles. This place was filled with beauty, especially when Kira was here. Opening her eyes to stare lazily out towards the water far below, Lacus smiled. Their own little corner from the rest of the world…theirs…she liked that.

Parting her lips, and taking in a soft breath, sound slowly fell from her lips, gentle and whimsical. It curled around her throat and ears, before leaving her to fill the cold air. Words took their shape but were filled with different meaning, and the notes became a canvas that her lips painted through beautiful noise.

Her voice faltered and stopped when she felt warmer, larger hands cover hers, and fingers hooked through the diamonds, locking them both to the fence. A cold cheek was pressed to the side of her face as familiar lips gently brushed her skin. Sighing softly, she relaxed against Kira, turning her head slightly so that she could see him.

"I didn't know you could sing," he murmured quietly, as though not wanting to break the atmosphere of their park. "It was a pretty song," he added, but from the look on Kira's face, she could see that he wanted to ask more about it, but didn't want to embarrass her. Lacus felt her face redden some anyway, and she pursed her lips for a moment. She had loved singing…but after her father's death, it hadn't been worth it anymore. Not that she stopped it altogether, of course, but there were no longer songs running through her head. No sheet music filled with notes and crescendos stuffed in her desk drawers as they had been when she was younger, before everything was taken away.

"It's an old song…" she murmured in reply, turning away from him. The girl started a bit when Kira chastely kissed her on the cheek. "Wh…what was," she stammered, turning her head to eye him. He was smiling gently.

"I'd like to hear it again sometime." he admitted bashfully, his smile contagious. Feeling his hands tighten over hers against the fence, Lacus nodded. Disentangling her hands from underneath Kira's and the fence, she turned around and reached for the fabric of his jacket and pulled herself closer.

"Only if we're here," she murmured softly in reply. In their corner apart from the world, she didn't have to be filled with the lament of reality's burden and her voice could finally form songs again. But only here, in this park.

"All right, deal," he agreed, just before leaning in closer to seal the deal.

Her lips were cold, chilled from the air, but it felt amazing. Just having her body held securely between his arms, walling away the rest of the world…Kira felt that he was actually able to fend off some sort of evil. Lacus had looked tired as of late, dark bags forming under her eyes and giving her a haunted appearance sometimes. She would stare off at nothing in class, and the expression on her face had unsettled Kira, made him feel uneasy. He had been careful about asking her too many questions, but he was dying to know everything and she was only giving him so little…Nonetheless, he couldn't press her. He didn't have the heart for it.

When she was with him, whatever spell of darkness that weighed down on her shoulders seemed to lift and she would smile. Seeing that relieved, grateful smile, Kira couldn't help taking his own happiness from it. Her presence soothed him, and he seemed to do the same for her. They…were a perfect match. He wasn't going to bring back that dark look asking her again what was on her mind that kept her from sleep. It wasn't fair to take her away from her own calm.

"Let's stay…just a little longer…" he murmured softly, parting from her to rest his forehead against hers. She smiled.

'_If only for forever…right?_' she wondered silently.

* * *

Her fingers were freezing, and it only made writing out the answers to her homework assignment more difficult. Glaring at the assignment, Miriallia clenched her teeth and resisted ripping it to shreds. She did push her textbook off the edge of her bed, though, and felt a bit of grim satisfaction when she heard it clatter to her bedroom floor. If only the book were made of glass and the floor covered in stone, perhaps maybe the sound could have distracted her from the sounds of her little sister vomiting in the bathroom.

Another long day at school. Another long day of ignoring the obvious, of ignoring a violet gaze burning a hole in her head, of ignoring a pale hand brushing hers and begging to ask what was wrong with a pair of blue eyes, of ignoring her whispered questions and accompanying answers from behind her, of ignoring the fact that she couldn't focus on anything in class and without the unwanted help of the blonde she'd have empty expanses of notebook pages for notes in most of her classes. Katie hadn't gone to school, and Miriallia had wanted to stay home…but she had a test tomorrow and knew she couldn't miss the review today.

Bringing her hands up to her face, the girl exhaled heavily and felt her limbs begin to shake as a familiar stinging sensation grew in her eyes. Biting the inside of her cheek, she lifted her hand to the back of her neck and dug her fingernails into her skin as sharply as she could. The pain wasn't nearly as satisfying as she wished it could be, but it did hurt, if only a little, and that worked.

The faucet in the bathroom was running, an old trick Katie had taken to using again. But it only hurt Miriallia more. She had lain in bed every night for the past few weeks and stared at the form of her sister as she struggled to breathe. She listened to the horrible coughing, the whines from her nightmares. Lisa, her mother, had become lucid enough to realize that her youngest daughter was still sick and had taken to crying uselessly as Ray tried to soothe her in vain.

At first, Katie had come to sleep beside Miriallia, to feel her older sister's protective arms around her as she slept. But then she'd just gotten to the point where she just collapsed on her bed, not wanting to move. Miriallia had gone to her then, stroking her hair and brushing her bangs out of her face till she fell into an almost deep sleep, and then the older girl would lie there and watch her sister sleep, wondering if she would wake because of a nightmare, or more pain.

Katie would now retreat to the bathroom when she wasn't feeling well, only giving her sister a big smile before locking the bathroom door behind her and turning on the sink. The running water was supposed to drown out the sounds of her illness, but nothing could block it all away. Miriallia was hurt because her sister seemed to be refusing her help now, and she was left feeling useless. Katie took her medicine by herself, she did her homework as best she could by herself, she didn't talk about her sickness to her sister or anyone, she was all alone. But if she was all alone, Miriallia was abandoned.

Sometimes the burn of tears is just too great, and the shaking of your hands too powerful to hold back. Lying back on her bed, Miriallia rolled over onto her stomach and clutched her pillow to her face to soak in the tears and to soak in the frustrated sobs. Her body shook with her effort to silence herself and will the horrible thoughts away, but it only made her want to cry more. It felt too _good_ to cry, _far_ _too good._

* * *

New and old makeup cases lay in a random pattern on Stellar's vanity as she tested her cosmetics. Cagalli lay sprawled on her bed copying half of their science assignment from Stellar's paper. In one ear was a headphone and beside her on the bed sat Stellar's walkman, a new CD spinning within as a song played. The blonde's head bobbed slightly to the rhythm of the song and she glanced up every so often to tell Stellar that she looked like a Barbie doll, and that no, it was not a compliment.

Nonetheless, Stellar did not mind the comments. For one reason, they weren't right, because those dolls had symmetrical faces and makeup, and Stellar putting on green eye shadow on one eyelid and purple on the other was certainly not something a doll would have. For another, it was Cagalli, and she wouldn't know anything about this. Smiling at her reflection, Stellar studied the way the powder over her eyes spread, and leaned in closer to check her eyelashes, curious to see if either of her mascara's were clumpy. One of Neo's friends had dropped off a makeup set earlier from one of Stellar's favorite brand names, but her brother had told her to go through her old things before opening the new set.

Now a few hours later, she'd had to wash her face uncountable times and was finally close to being done. She'd found quite a few things that were used up or too old to use though, leaving more drawer space for her new things.

"You know all the money you spend on that stuff could go to other things? Like buying more posters you can drool over?" the blonde girl on the bed pointed out flatly, gesturing to one of the many posters tacked to the wall near her friend's bed. Quite a few of them were of boy bands or band members, and quite frankly made Cagalli wary of young men wearing tight leather and eyeliner, nice as it was.

"Har har, Cagalli," Stellar said, rubbing her face with a wet towel. The makeup came off easily enough, but did leave a slight discoloration on the blonde girl's face. Getting up, she walked over to the bed and fell back on it, bouncing a bit and causing Cagalli to grumble a curse as her pencil made a mark on her homework.

"Watch it, would you?" she snapped.

"Do your homework all by yourself if you're going to complain," Stellar replied back with a smile. Looking towards an empty plate that had held sandwiches earlier, Stellar made a thoughtful noise in the back of her throat. "Hey, do you think Katie would like to make a study group with us?" the girl asked.

"Huh? Well, I don't see how it'd be a problem…why ask though?" Cagalli replied, curiosity hinting in her words.

"I saw some of her papers the other day…" Stellar began, sounding a bit guilty. "I mean, I didn't mean to spy or anything, but I noticed that a lot of her homework was only half done and she didn't get a really good grade on that test we had in math…I saw that paper, too," the blonde admitted, looking to her knees.

Cagalli was silent for a moment, narrowing her eyes in thought. She knew what Stellar was hinting towards. Katie hadn't been looking so great lately. Her skin was ashen and flushed half the time, and she seemed really sleepy in class. She hadn't been eating much of her lunch, either, that is when she brought it anyway. Katie had gotten pretty good grades before, too, but this past month, she had been seeming to slip. Not to mention, she'd been out of school at least one day each week only to come back looking worse for wear.

"We'll ask her tomorrow, kay?" Cagalli suggested, smiling nonchalantly. Stellar nodded, looking relieved. But it seemed another thought crossed her mind, and the girl suddenly looked concerned.

"I forgot to ask, your brother…" she said, reaching a hand up to her forehead to brush away her bangs. "He had a bandage up around here, right? Is he okay?" Stellar asked worriedly. Cagalli froze, though, her eyes locked on her friend's.

"Y-Yeah, he fell in the bathroom last night and hit his head on the counter. Really clumsy, right?" Cagalli said uneasily, trying to appear amused. Stellar looked a little worried still.

"Shutting his fingers in doors and slipping in the bathroom…Kira is acting like a real klutz lately…" Stellar said, almost sadly. With a flourish of her hand, she held it against her forehead and sighed dramatically. "If he continues on like this, not only will he be in a full body cast, but he won't be the perfect dream anymore!"

At those words, Cagalli widened her eyes. "What…?" she asked confusedly. Stellar smiled as though caught.

"Well, Kira is such a great housewife being able to cook and clean, and he's kind, pretty…"

"_Pretty?_"

"…shy, and really tall! He's the perfect guy, practically! But if he's all clumsy, that makes him like a sitcom character…" the girl explained, fiddling her fingers. Cagalli slumped back against the pillows.

"I really don't follow your thought processes…" she mumbled. "And did you have to use the term 'housewife'?" she asked, glaring back down at the homework. "Besides, he has a girlfriend, you know…" Cagalli added quietly, though her tone was almost bitter.

Stellar pursed her lips, but didn't smile like she usually would. Looking away from Cagalli, she rubbed her knees together thoughtfully. "_He's only clumsy at home…_" she mumbled softly. Cagalli missed her words and asked what she said, but Stellar shook her head, smiling reassuringly. "Oh, nothing, just talking nonsense to myself, Cagalli," she replied.

* * *

Muruta wasn't home when Kira finally trudged back after walking Lacus halfway home, and the boy found himself standing outside the front door; hand on the doorknob, just itching to pull away. Last night, Muruta had come home later than normal and had dragged the boy out of his bed, growling at him. The older man had been heavily inebriated, which also was unusual in itself since Muruta enjoyed being aware of his actions, not stumbling about in a drunken rage. Kira had only taken one kick to the side before the man had stumbled over himself and fell back against the door.

When Kira had pulled himself up, he'd meant only to push Muruta from his doorway, but the man had reached out and grabbed his hair before slamming his head against the doorframe with enough force to make the Coordinator see stars. Though it had left him dazed, Kira felt a prickling under his skin that urged him to get up, and with deadly silence, he threw himself at the man, his bony shoulder knocking the blonde man in the center of his chest and winding him.

Pursing his lips, Kira narrowed his eyes at the memory. He could remember standing over the dazed form of Muruta, his breathing heavy and his hands shaking, wanting to do more as the splitting pain on his skull made his head throb. But the drunken man had blinked up at him, and pushed himself back onto his feet before stumbling off in the direction of his own bedroom. Kira watched him leave, in part to assure himself the man wouldn't take the turn in the hall towards his sister's room, and also because he felt like he was letting a chance slip away. It hadn't been till he crawled back into bed that Kira realized that he was bleeding a bit from where his forehead crashed into the wood.

Even now, spending a better part of the day during classes thinking about it, Kira still felt a weight in his gut. He'd held so much power in that one instant, he could have…The boy swallowed, realizing his throat was dry. He could have what? Flashes flitted through his mind of the things he'd imagined last night in the few seconds he'd stood before Muruta Azrael. Flashes of the things he wanted to do…wanted to hear…he wanted to make the man feel and scream from the pain Kira had felt…he wanted to see Muruta's back carved into by the same knife…He wanted to see Muruta dead.

Eyes widening, Kira took in a shaky breath. Turning the doorknob and pulling the door open, the brunette stepped through the doorway, still struggling to breathe. He wanted to…kill Muruta? Shaking his head slowly, Kira lifted a hand to his forehead, pressing against the bandage there. He didn't realize why his vision had grown foggy till he felt a hot and wet sensation on his cheek, and with confusion and turmoil, he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

Closing the door behind him, Kira slipped off his shoes and made his way towards the living room, planning to wait for Cagalli to come home. But after the boy's bag fell from his shoulders, and his body sunk into the plush cushions of the couch, he found himself unable to keep focused. Meaning to grab his homework from his bag, he leaned on his side while reaching for his school bag. His cheek met the armrest of the couch, and the soft material it was upholstered in felt almost warm to the bare touch.

It was like…a mother's hand. Soft and soothing, cradling and reshaping to fit against oneself. Violet hair and kind green eyes swam before the teen's pale eyes, and Kira felt his lips quivering as the image reached around him, embracing him, filling him, consuming him till nothing was left.

* * *

The streetlamps had just turned on when Neo's car pulled up in the Azraels' driveway. Stellar leaned forward from the backseat, where Cagalli had forced her to sit by herself, and rested her chin on the shoulder of the passenger seat. She couldn't see the faraway look in the blonde girl's eyes from her position, nor the anxious expression she wore.

"Hey Cagalli, none of the lights are on, is anyone home?" the blonde girl asked worriedly, glancing over towards her friend whom now looked a touch concerned after having glanced up at the manor.

"You can stay with us rather than be home all alone! It's not safe; you should have someone to be protecting you!" Stellar chirped, reaching her arms around the sides of the seat to awkwardly embrace the golden eyed girl. Cagalli laughed, albeit somewhat nervously, and reached up to rest her hands on Stellar's.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine! And I don't need anyone's protection," Cagalli added, turning her head to grin goofily towards Stellar. Neo sat in the driver's side watching the two banter away, a slightly amused grin on his face, but he obviously had no plans to become involved.

"Ah! That's so mean, Cagalli!" Stellar pouted, puckering her lips and glaring. "Everyone will need to be protected sometime! And for saying that, you better watch out now, or else I'll trick you," the blonde girl declared, releasing her friend from her embrace only to rub her knuckles against Cagalli's temples.

"The only person she would need protection from is _you_, Stellar," Neo spoke up, regretting it when his younger sibling turned her sights on him.

"_Oh yeah!?"_ the magenta eyed girl countered, stabbing at her brother's shoulder with an accusatory finger.

Cagalli smiled softly at them while shaking her head as she stepped out of the car. Leaning her head in, she smiled wide, "I'm sure Kira's home; he would have called if he'd be late. Don't worry; I'll see you tomorrow, m'kay?" Cagalli said cheerfully to the two Loussiers before shutting the door. Stellar had opened her mouth as though to say something, but closed it to watch Cagalli begin walking up the walkway towards the front doors.

"Hey Cagalli, when you get inside go to the front window and wave at us so we know you'll be okay, alright?" Neo called after her, having rolled his window down.

The blonde girl turned to nod at him, and hurried up the steps. As long as Muruta wasn't home…as long as he wasn't home…everything would be just fine tonight. When she pushed her key into the lock, she was surprised and a little worried to see that it wasn't locked, but pushing the door open, she saw her brother's school shoes off to the side and guessed he didn't expect to wait for her long. Glancing warily into the dark recesses of the manor, Cagalli narrowed her eyes. It was strange that all the lights were off.

Closing the door, she was sure to lock it, and slipped off her own shoes before hurrying to the living room to signal Neo. She didn't want them to be waiting long. Reaching the living room without bumping into anything, Cagalli made her way towards the windows, glad that the material was thin and allowed for some light to brighten the room enough to see by. She quickly found one of the lamps on an end table, and flicked it on. Looking up, she widened her eyes at first, but smiled gently when she saw her brother lying on the couch, deep in the embrace of slumber it would seem.

Heading towards the window, she pulled back the curtain to see Neo and Stellar waiting in the car. For some reason, it surprised Cagalli some, and her stomach churned though not uncomfortably at her friend remaining to assure her safety. Shrugging off the thought as silly, Cagalli waved, and Stellar did so as well, seemingly not stopping till Neo had pulled out of the driveway and driven off down the quiet road. Watching them go, Cagalli finally pulled the curtains closed when the taillights could no long be seen.

Letting go of the curtains, the blonde girl made her way over towards the couch, sliding her school bag from her shoulders and lying it on the coffee table. Folding her knees beneath her, she slipped off her school blazer and loosened her tie, all the while resting her honey gold gaze on her older brother. He'd fallen asleep more or less lying on his left side, his cheek resting on his arm, and his right brought up close to his chest. A slightly troubled look crossed her expression as she watched him, and it came from the realization that he himself, even in sleep, did not look relaxed.

Lifting a hand to carefully brush through his bangs and move the dark hair away from his face, her eyes fell on the bandage. She herself hadn't known anything about it till that morning at breakfast which Azrael had decided to skip over apparently. She'd asked him about it, but Kira had merely smiled and said _"Don't worry about it. Want jam for your toast?"_ Frowning, Cagalli traced a fingertip just over the bandage, not touching it of course, but she almost wanted to…

Bringing her hand to her own forehead, she pulled back her bangs and touched the same spot Kira had covered. Knocking it none too gently with her knuckle, she frowned deeply. "It doesn't hurt that much…" she murmured softly.

A small shift on the couch made Cagalli look up in surprise, wondering if her brother was waking up, but she relaxed again seeing he was still asleep. A small noise, choked, came from his throat, and she watched with worry anew as the older teen's lips trembled and then parted. Moisture was collecting around his eyes, and Cagalli quickly brought up a hand to gently wipe them away. But as she wiped the unshed tears away, she was a bit startled when she felt her brother's hand brush against her own, his fingers unconsciously gripping at her, reflexively tightening their hold.

The girl watched as the boy's eyes slowly opened heavily, as though made of stone, and a faraway stare slowly focused on her, though waveringly. Cagalli frowned seeing the watery violet stare, but wasn't expecting what he asked.

"_Mama?_" he asked tiredly in such a weak, innocent voice, Cagalli felt like crying – hearing the tone of voice from when she was so much younger…when they were _so_ much younger. Her other hand brushed through his bangs lovingly, much like she remembered being done to her.

"Go back to sleep, baby, _I'm right here_," Cagalli whispered, smiling but sadly, hoping and praying he believed the illusion. Kira's eyes slowly closed and his hand slipped from Cagalli's and fell back onto the couch.

With trembling hands, Cagalli took her brother's hand in both of hers and kissed it. Smiling at her brother bitterly, the blonde girl pressed his beautiful fingers to her lips. She knew Kira wasn't where he thought he was…and she didn't know how to feel, whether to be glad he was finding peace, or envious that she could not find such a place. She'd been so young…her own memories of their parents weren't nearly as vivid as Kira's…he'd always been such a mother's boy, too…

Feeling her eyes sting, Cagalli blinked and stared back at her brother's face. With her fingers, she found a small line of skin that held a different texture, and knew without looking that it was the cut Kira had gotten when they climbed out the backseat window from the car crash. He'd had to press a bit of the glass to make a wide space for her to get out, and had cut his hand. The scar was barely visible now, but Cagalli could remember it, and with a frown, she remembered the smile on Kira's young face as he coaxed her out of the deathtrap their car had become. Even then…with blood staining his clothes and glass cutting his back…he'd been smiling and acting so strong. For _her_.

"_Why? Why was I so useless? So helpless? Why couldn't __**I**__ take care of __**you**__?"_ she whispered.

Lips trembling, Cagalli gripped Kira's hand as tightly as she dared, wishing with all her might she didn't wake him from his dream. Glaring at his hand, her eyes traced over the long, fragile looking fingers. Holding his hand, she leered at the contrast between their hands, the visible and invisible. There was a huge difference that could be said about them, and not just in their hands. The scars along his body, healing or long faded, were absent from her own.

"_You're so selfish…"_ she murmured near silently, closing her eyes as she brushed his hand against her cheek. Her sleeve fell slightly and the soft light from the lamp caught on silver. The blonde opened her eyes to glance at her wrist, seeing just a few links of the bracelet her brother had given her. Her gaze hardening, the girl looked back to her brother with an unfaltering expression. With her other hand, she fondly brushed his bangs.

"_Everyone will need to be protected sometime!"_ Stellar had said…Seeing her brother's gentle face, recalling the feel of his loving touch, the sound of his soft words, the warmth from his gaze…Cagalli knew what Stellar had said was never meant to mean anything like this but…her finger tracing the faded scar on Kira's hand, the blonde rested her body against the couch, her cheek on the cushion, and her hands resting beside her while holding Kira's limp hand.

"I can protect you…It doesn't hurt…I-I won't let you cry, Kira…" Cagalli murmured decidedly before her own eyelids fell closed.

In the morning, she knew he wouldn't remember those few seconds he was awake. She knew he would go about as usual with that same smile and the same mask. In the morning, she knew he wouldn't know that she wouldn't accept his mask any longer. She knew that she would gladly wear her own than see her brother like this.

But in the morning, both would fail to remember the unfamiliar black car that had been sitting across the street in front of another lot yesterday afternoon and evening, nor would they realize that it was still there.

* * *

Dearka was tired of his mother getting on his case, and he was even sicker of giving the same explanation to her and his father over and over. What he did after school was his own business, they should know enough to respect his privacy. He was a maturing teenager after all, didn't they read in all those child-rearing books about the phases and stages their offspring goes through during adolescence. If he wanted to head to the rec center after school finally let out to shoot some hoops for a few hours, it should have been fine, right? Why else would his parents give him a car, cell phone, and a next-to-nothing curfew if they didn't want him to have his personal freedom?

Sure…when his mother had called he hadn't exactly answered his phone…nor did he do so for the next seven calls she made…but he'd gotten home by dinner, right? Jeez…his parents were supposed to be the emotionally distanced business-types who worried about the job first, yeah, so why the sudden interest in his life now? It's not like he was doing anything wrong…and playing basketball in a completely safe and supervised environment wasn't anything to get one's feathers ruffled over…Dearka decided what for himself, and he could do as he pleased with his time.

If he just so happened to have spent that time, the whole four hours of it at a library rather than the rec center where he'd said he'd been, what was the significance of details? He still wasn't getting into any trouble, certainly…

Glancing at his bed, the teen upturned his school bag and poured the contents out across the comforter. Seven books out of the original twelve he'd initially found that afternoon…all books on what they hadn't discussed in science class. With a sigh, the blonde grabbed one with a strange sphere-looking thing on the cover and flipped through a few pages. Who would have thought that there would be a whole book, no, quite a few more books, simply devoted to leukocytes when there had only been one chunky paragraph about them in the textbook?

Sitting down on the edge of his bed, the blonde teen flipped a few more pages, reading a few sentences and words from each page. Sighing, the boy closed the book and rested it on his lap, holding it tightly in both hands as he stared at the cover. He'd read all these books, he'd look for even more…he'd learn about what this monster clawing his back was, and he'd know how to fight it. Pursing his lips, Dearka nodded to himself.

He wouldn't let the light overhead remain blacked out; he'd find the switch and turn it on. He'd face the true ugliness of the beast, so that she wouldn't be all alone.

The boy jumped when there was a knock on his door, and he hastily threw the book atop the others before reaching for the comforter to pull it over the small stack of borrowed literature.

"Dearka?" came the stern voice of his mother. She was clearly still ticked with his disappearing act. "Hurry up and shower to get that sweat off you. Dinner will be ready in half an hour, I expect you at the table and ready to talk about what you did wrong with your father and I."

The teen shook his head and scoffed, rolling his eyes. "What parenting book did you get that bull from?" he asked through the door, thankful his mother hadn't walked in. There was actually silence for a moment, and the tan skinned teen wondered if she'd gone away, but it was not so.

"Bridging the Gap." His mother replied, and the swift silence afterwards alerted Dearka to her exit.

Shaking his head slowly, Dearka glanced back at the hidden pile of books, and the blonde boy frowned softly. Heading towards the connected bathroom, he began to unbutton his shirt. Just as his foot met the cool bathroom tile, he stopped, for only a moment. Those books…he wouldn't let her face all that alone. His hands shook, and he held them out before him, palms up while he stared down at the smooth palms. His hands…he would let her hold them, when she found nothing else to hold on to…His hands clenched into fists. He would make sure she could count on him.

With that thought in mind, he grinned as he started his shower. If only she could know that she could use him to lean on…it would be completely worth the lame excuses and punishment from his parents.

* * *

It was dark and windy by the time Lacus realized she couldn't stay outside any longer. Pulling herself up off the bench she'd made her perch for the past few hours, she brushed the imaginary dust from her front. Grabbing her school bag, she made sure her books were placed within properly and weren't crushing any of her homework papers that she'd just slaved over in the cold.

After she'd talked Kira into only walking her halfway home, she'd watched him head back to get to his own street, and then she'd just stood on the quiet street thoughtfully, not really sure what she was going to do. Going home was…she'd frowned and pursed her lips then. Meer was in a horrible mood lately and Ketsuke had been appearing more or less in conversation and person, and Lacus was thankful that whenever she'd crossed their path, they were already busy talking or going somewhere else. She didn't want to be caught vulnerable and defenseless yet again, not like the last time.

So, she'd merely continued walking. Down the street, past her own lane, and just kept walking till eventually, the sidewalk came to too many corners. She'd looked up then, and found herself standing outside of a preschool building. It was very late in the afternoon, had the sun been out, there would have been an amber curtain over the landscape. But as it was concealed by the thick gray clouds overhead, the palette of the world below cloud cover was a dullish, muted warm.

Nonetheless, no one would be in the building this late anyway, and the small playground was barren. A bench that overlooked it sat in solitude, surely having been occupied by a smiling caretaker earlier in the day as he or she watched the children play. Walking over towards it, Lacus had dropped her school bag onto it before sitting herself down. Pulling out her homework, she almost felt content to be entering the monotony of facts and numbers as she flipped her math book open. Beginning the first problem on a sheet of notebook paper, she began the equation, but stopped halfway through, staring blankly at the paper. With a sad smile, she had laughed harshly.

"_I really hate math…"_

And with that, she'd continued on till her mind focused on nothing but equations and formulas and not even time registered till the nearby lamplights flickered on to provide their regulated illumination.

Shivering in her school blazer and pulling the sleeves below her hands, Lacus bit the corner of her cheek as she pulled herself up the walkway towards the front door. It was getting so much colder; she should have thought to bring a jacket. Glancing up at the dark, cloudy sky, she frowned thoughtfully. "Is it going to snow?"

Brushing her hair behind her ear and shivering from the frozen touch of her fingers, she frowned and ran a hand through her bangs. She'd been wearing her clip less and less…she'd not really thought how much of a pain it'd be to have her hair in her face all the time.

With a quiet sigh, she dug her house key out her uniform pocket, and stuck it in the lock, surprised to find the door unlocked. Returning her key, she opened the door, curious and feeling a bit of trepidation as she opened the door. Pity she hadn't noticed how many windows had been illuminated from within the house when she was walking up. Wouldn't have been so much a surprise.

Stepping into the foyer, Lacus looked around cautiously as she closed the door behind her. Not long after the familiar click of the bolts sliding into place, another sound met her ears, but not one so familiar. Heels were clicking on the hardwood floor in the hallway. Turning, Lacus' eyes widened and her mouth went dry when a familiar woman stepped out to make her entrance into the foyer, head held high and eyes narrowed. It was a stance Lacus was familiar with, one she had been glad to be without for so long.

"Noreen…" Lacus said quietly, clear blue eyes falling upon the woman narrowly. The woman pursed her lips and stepped closer to the girl, bringing up her hand and bringing it down on the girl's cheek without a moment's explanation.

"Where have you been?" the woman hissed, her scarlet lips twisting into a disapproving frown. "I've been waiting for hours…and it's dark! No respectable girl stays out this late." She continued, copper eyes flashing.

Staring at the woman through her bangs, Lacus rubbed her cheek. In the months that Lacus hadn't seen the woman, she saw that not much had changed. Meer's looks had come entirely from her mother, from the russet eyes to the curly dark hair, and Noreen's own cold personality surely had to have had some part in encouraging Meer's own vicious streak.

But that wasn't important. Nothing about this woman's presence was settling to Lacus.

Straightening herself, Lacus brushed her hair away from her face so that her gaze could lock with Noreen's. Her reddening cheek was also on display, but it really didn't hurt much at all. With a perverse grin, Lacus couldn't help thinking bitterly that Meer had done far worse to her.

"You haven't answered my question, young lady," Noreen said, the promise of a threat in her tone.

"I was out." The pale hair girl replied, her gaze unwavering. Noreen frowned.

"You would know that such an answer is unacceptable. I will send you to your room without dinner should you play dumb with me a second time."

Lacus turned away and began walking towards the stairs. "Then by all means, please do."

The woman stared with annoyance at the girl who so dared turn her back on her, but Lacus was far more surprised when Meer stepped down from the top of the stairs where she'd been watching them. Her own dark gaze was masked, but the moment she reached Lacus, her hand grasped the girl's elbow, and tightly. Lacus winced slightly and turned a glare towards her step sister, but there was still the fear there that Meer had conditioned into her. That could never be fully hidden.

Meer tore her gaze from her sister and glanced over to her mother. Noreen was watching the two, and Meer sighed.

"I'm sorry, Mother, I forgot to tell you that Lacus has been staying after school to tutor middle schoolers. One of her teachers asked her for the help; it completely slipped my mind that she sometimes doesn't get home till late." The girl spun the lie so well and disinterestedly, Noreen could do nothing but sigh in resigned annoyance.

"Well then, you will do to not forget to inform me of these things in the future, Meer. And you, Lacus, I expect better manners. I do not approve of that sort of disrespectful behavior and will not tolerate it again. Understood?" the woman asked, more demanded.

Before Lacus could return a sharp remark that was waiting on her tongue, Meer squeezed her arm yet again and smiled thinly towards her mother and replied for them both. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good, now wash up and come down for dinner." Noreen ordered before disappearing down the hall again. Meer watched her leave, and then dragged Lacus up a few stairs before the younger girl growled softly.

"Let go of me," she began to say, and Meer complied by pushing her down towards the stairs. Lacus gasped softly in surprise when she hit the carpeted stairs, but it wasn't really from pain. Looking up at Meer who was staring at her indifferently, the blue eyed girl glared. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what, little sister?" Meer asked airily.

"Tell her that story."

"She's annoying; I wanted to shut her up. Besides, she's not above throwing you over her knee or slapping your face…" Meer knelt down beside Lacus and captured her chin tightly between her fingers as she leant forward. "And you know I don't want anyone touching you at all but-"

"Let go!" Lacus ordered, her fear slipping past her hastily constructed shell of courage. Meer frowned, and her fingers fell from her little sister's jaw, but she still brushed her hand along the younger girl's cheek before standing.

"Get ready for dinner, Noreen doesn't like to wait," Meer said, before turning herself to head up the stairs and towards her own room. Lacus stared after her for a moment, allowing the lapse of fear to fade as she collected herself. Pulling herself up on shaky legs, Lacus reached for the banister with a shaky hand and gripped it tightly as she made her own way up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, Lacus couldn't help thinking back to the first time she'd had to get ready for Noreen's idea of dinner as she trudged to her room. She was young and whining about having to dress up, and her father had tried hopelessly to get her excited about the idea. Noreen had brought so many new things with her when she became part of this home…

Siegel Clyne was a good man who'd had a doting wife and beautiful child. It was only too unfortunate when his wife passed away, leaving him with an important career and a small daughter and no mother to care for her. It had always been a mystery to Lacus as to how he chose Noreen Campbell to take the place of her mother when there were so many other women in the world…perhaps it was because Noreen came with a daughter herself that her father thought she could become the perfect playmate for his own daughter? How wrong he'd chosen…

Her bedroom was dark and slightly warm when she entered. She turned a lamp on, filling the room with dim light as she closed her door. Dropping her school bag on her bed, Lacus walked towards the closet while taking off her uniform. The girl only wanted to dress quickly and get it all over with so that she could happily go to bed.

Where once their home had been a large playground, perfect for playing endless hide and seek and covering the walls with crayon pictures and the halls perfect for running down, Noreen had other ideas. No more unnecessary noise, no more obnoxious games in the house, and most certainly no abhorrent pictures of a child's creativity taped to the walls. Her father had even been told it wasn't proper for a man to play with his child as he did. Noreen had stressed how important it was to display their class by dressing properly for the one meal they all took together, and Lacus had hated it. It wasn't till her father began bribing her with sweets that she complied quietly with the dinner arrangements…though Noreen had another opinion on punishments, and when Siegel wasn't home, should Lacus have broken any rule, she was locked in her room immediately and not allowed out till the next morning. When she'd told her father, and he'd scolded Noreen, the woman had only waited till he was gone on yet another business trip before punishing Lacus yet again and forcing her to promise to never tell her father.

Slipping into a cream colored dress, Lacus checked to make sure that the long sleeves were long enough to cover her wrists before glancing at the mirror. The dress' material was soft and fit her well, considering she'd had it for some time. It hung just off the shoulder, and the neckline was modest. The skirt was in three layers of overlapping white, cream, and peach fabric and could be worn casually, but Lacus guessed it'd be fine for the occasion. If not, she'd just be told to skip dinner, and that was fine by her.

Stepping back out into the hallway, Lacus found herself standing at the top of the stairs, looking down the incline ponderously. Reaching out to grab the banister, she wondered if her mother had ever dressed up nicely to have dinner with her father…if she had walked down these same stairs so easily and naturally while going to dinner in her own home…and with a nauseating churn within her stomach, Lacus realized just how few memories she had of her mother in this house.

By the time she reached the dining room, Noreen was sitting silently at the head of the table sipping wine, a salad bowl sitting almost untouched before her. Though Lacus did not like it, she would never argue that the woman did have mannerisms and etiquette mastered…as far as when the woman felt like putting them to use, anyway.

Meer was seated to the left of her mother, her chair placed near the middle of the long length of table. She looked up when Lacus entered but said nothing. She too had changed, though it was a subtle outfit that also had a modest neckline. Her bust didn't really seem to notice, but at least Meer wasn't fitting herself into the mold of someone better suited to such.

Wordlessly, Lacus took her seat to Noreen's right and the opposite of Meer. The pattern had been instilled since she was a child, and even with the subtraction of her father and his chair at the other end of the table, nothing had changed. The three women began the dinner in silence, and it remained so till another presence introduced itself in the form of Noreen's assistant whom Lacus had almost entirely forgotten. He was a silent man, by nature or by Noreen's preference hardly mattered, and his expression was always impassive. Noreen seemingly went nowhere without him, and he went with her wherever she went. Lacus eyed him neutrally as he brought in the main dish, along with a pitcher of water which he used to refill Meer and Lacus' glasses.

"Thank you, Hiro," Noreen murmured when he retrieved an opened wine bottle from the kitchen.

Narrowing her eyes, Lacus pushed her dinner around her plate. It seemed Noreen's assistant truly was a jack of all trades, handling the tasks of being Noreen's caretaker, business advisor, and busboy, apparently.

Throughout the meal, Lacus ignored the stares she felt directed at her by her step sister, and showed no response to Noreen's frigidness. It was all so regular…silent…The girl realized that it was much like being trapped in the glass bubble of a snow globe. Only, the snow was completely settled on the floor, and it seemed no one was going to come and shake the world to unsettle things. Instead, they would be stuck in perpetual silence and trapped in an unspoken game of cold shoulders and averted glances.

It wasn't till Hiro was once again filling Lacus' hardly touched glass with water that Noreen finally gave into the game and threw in her hand. Looking sharply towards Lacus, the woman purposefully brushed a lock of curly dark hair behind her ear.

"Lacus, hardly touching your dinner is rude and uncalled for. Stop your childish sulking and eat." The woman snapped, though her voice was surprisingly calm but calculated. Lifting her napkin, she daintily dabbed at her lips, marred red from her wine.

"I'm not sulking. I'm simply not hungry." The girl replied quietly, turning a challenging gaze towards Noreen. She didn't fully understand why she'd taken up such an offensive front, but Lacus was playing pointlessly with ideas. Perhaps because she couldn't imagine Noreen doing the sorts of things Meer would and could do to her, Lacus wasn't nearly as threatened by the woman who became empowered by her father's name alone…the woman who had never even taken her father's name…

"Lacus, just eat, would you?" Meer cut in, though her gaze seemed almost…pleading? No, that wasn't right…but there was something different about those eyes and her expression…

Before Noreen could cut in further, Lacus pushed her chair back and stood. Grabbing her plate before Hiro could, she didn't spare her associated family a single glance as she carried the untouched plate towards the kitchen. Noreen made as though about to speak, but Lacus cut her off.

"I'll be going to my room now. Goodnight."

With little else, the long haired teen disappeared from the dining room, and carried out her task. The return to her room had not been as rewarding in months.

* * *

The room was dark; it felt cold on her body that wasn't covered by her sheets. Shivering, the brunette curled in on herself, burying her face into the soft, warm pillow. Breathing in shakily, she could smell the detergent in the pillowcase. The vent in the ceiling kicked on, pouring warm air into the room with a dull humming. Mir's skin prickled when waves of mild warmth fell across her arms, and she wondered why she'd chosen to sleep in her old nightgown made of smooth white material.

Turning in her bed till she was on her back, she stared through tired aqua eyes up at the ceiling. The light in the room came from the window, which was only half covered on one side by the curtain. She didn't have to look at the digital clock to know it was late…very late. Instead, she turned her head to glance at the trembling bundle in the other bed.

"…_Katie…"_

Pursing her lips and feeling her eyes sting, Miriallia slipped out from under her covers and stood from her bed. Taking the few steps over towards her little sister's bed, the girl sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. Smiling weakly at the small girl's form, Mir reached a hand out carefully to tuck a small lock behind the girl's ear. Katie had suck beautiful hair…Miriallia tried not to gasp when the sleeping girl pulled away from the touch. Wide eyes stared disbelieving at the small form, and the teen tried to ignore the burning sensation settling over her eyes.

A small sound that sounded neither sleepy or like that of a young girl met Mir's ears, and she leant over with curiosity, only for her gaze to lock with a glowing feline gaze. Amber lay curled against Katie's stomach, ears pulled back slightly and a disturbed look on the cat's face. Mir frowned and reached over to stroke the cat's head, earning a small growl. She grinned wryly and pulled back. Amber, just like Katie, wasn't acting herself lately. The cat wouldn't eat unless Katie was there, and more often than not, the stupid beast disliked anyone touching her but the small child. Brushing a hand gently over Katie's hair, Miriallia tried to hold it back when the sleeping girl cringed yet again.

"You chose some stupid cat over me?" Mir whispered, her voice breaking on her last word. Amber growled lowly as she rested her head once again, as though understanding the insult. Miriallia's lips quivered and her vision blurred as the first wall of moisture melted into tears that trickled down her cheeks and into the curve of her nose and mouth. Leaning forward, as though about to kiss the girl's forehead, the teen stopped herself and pulled away.

Staring at Katie's troubled sleeping expression as though never having seen it before, the girl's shoulders shook and her eyes watered. Bringing a fist up to her mouth, she bit down on soft skin to hold back and contain the sob crawling up her throat. Standing from Katie's bed, Miriallia walked over towards the window, biting her lips till it felt as though her teeth would go straight through the tissue. Her hands fumbled with the locks, and she finally was able to pull it open enough for her to slip one leg through the opening before the other, and then she slid out to fall the foot or so to the hard ground with rough grass outside.

Reaching in to pull her window down quietly, the girl made sure that it was closed and tightly before she stumbled against the siding, her knees falling to the dirt and grass below, her hands desperately clutching the windowsill. Taking in a shaky breath, she hiccupped, and a sob finally fell through. Groaning out of agony and then whining in a weak and helpless voice, Miriallia let the noise exit her throat to fill the frigid night air around her. She barely noticed the cold biting into her bare arms and legs, nor did she realize there was a thin layer of frost on the ground in patches.

Her gasps were seen as clouds of fog and her hot tears left burning trails down her face and she growled when she realized her nose was running. Letting go of the sill, she brought both hands to her face and rubbed. One hand smeared the moisture of her tears across one side of her face, and the other rubbed snot across her cheek. Eyes widening, she rubbed at her cheek and nose and then rubbed her messy hands against the edge of her nightgown.

Feeling her eyes prick and her nose burn yet again, Miriallia sobbed in frustration and grabbed fistfuls of her hair that she pulled tightly. Finally, the cold registered, and she stood up quickly and shakily, staring in curiosity at the strange landscape. It hadn't been snowing before…had it? Rubbing her cold arms, Mir felt an uncomfortable calm and unease fill her veins with a chilled distance, much like the landscape around her. Eyes still stinging, nose still burning, but throat no longer strangled with useless cries, she turned to face the house sitting just beside hers.

Like all the others, the lights were out in an uncomforting loneliness, and the roof too held a coat of frost. But seeing one window along the side…the old wood of the sill, the mismatched paneling of the window – it having to be replaced when it broke a few years ago – looked too welcoming and familiar.

Before she knew it, her legs were carrying her closer, her hands at her sides shaking slightly so that she had to grip the thin material of her nightgown tightly. Standing outside and looking in, Mir noticed the curtain was drawn…but it didn't stop her. Reaching up a hand, she rapped on the glass with her pale, freezing knuckles. At first, just gently, then a bit more urgently, and then a desperate knock against the glass.

The curtain was thrown back suddenly and a young man stood on the other side, staring out angrily and then wide eyed at the girl standing on the other side of the glass. Locks popped, and the window was pushed up quickly. Miriallia didn't wait, her hands reached for the dark material of the boy's shirt, gripping it tightly.

"Miri…" he murmured worriedly, leaning forward to see her flushed, tear streaked face.

Her eyes narrowed as her lips pulled into a thin frown before standing up on tiptoe, her hands fisting in his shirt to pull him closer. His own hands reached out to cradle her face, his thumbs resting below her eyes before rubbing the stray moisture to the side. His blue eyes softened considerably and Miriallia closed her eyes for a moment, turning her head into the touch. Opening those tortured aqua eyes; she looked up to him and reached an arm up to grab his shoulder to pull herself up against his body so their chests were touching. Pressing her lips against the hollow of his throat, she kissed the skin there thoughtfully and moved up along his neck till her lips pressed against his jaw line.

"Miriallia…?" the boy whispered, seriousness obvious in his tone, but hopefulness and worry as well.

"Comfort me." She ordered in a whisper, burying her nose in the crook of his neck. His scent was familiar, warming, welcoming.

With no more words, Tolle reached out to wrap his arms around the girl's smaller body and lifted her up and carefully through the window. The window was pushed back down, and the curtain fell back into place, shielding the two occupants of the room from the outside world as Miriallia allowed Tolle to bring her the physical comfort, warmth, and escape she desired. Here in his room there was no outside light, just muscle memory and whispered voices as hands brushed over clothing and skin lovingly and lips made promises that would evaporate the moment the sun rose.

But that was all right…because Miriallia didn't want anything more.

* * *

_There was a coloring book and a box of crayons sitting on her lap and the comforting feeling of a doll pressed against her side in the smooth plastic chair she sat in. Small hands clutched several crayons as one held the mismatched rainbow and her right hand gripped the lavender crayon tenderly as she colored the sky in the book's picture. There were two little birds colored yellow and orange sitting in a blue nest. The tree and its branch had yet to be colored, but the little girl was sure she'd use her pink crayon. It all would look really pretty, and her mother would love it._

_Late afternoon sunlight spilled into the gleaming white room that smelled of flowers and soap, and Lacus paused in her coloring to look up out the window to see the other buildings of the city. It was really pretty. The light gave everything a soft golden glow, and Lacus wished she could do it with her crayons on the picture of the two baby birdies. She loved how the light made her mother's wig, the same rose color of Lacus' own hair, shimmer with little gold slivers._

_Hearing the sleeping woman groan softly, Lacus' big blue eyes widened as a new sound mingled with the consistent bleeping and humming noises from the machines beside her mother's bed. A pair of light brown eyes slowly lifted open, a tired cloud over them that didn't completely fade when the woman tried to blink the sleep away. She turned her gaze towards the small girl staring at her, and her lips pulled into a smile._

"_Morning Mommy!"_

_A pale hand with dark spidery veins lifted from the bed and reached out to brush Lacus' cheek, and the woman rested her cool hand upon the warmth of the baby smooth skin. "You're such a cute little girl, Lacus…" she whispered softly. She only smiled wider when Lacus dropped her coloring things on the counter and pressed her doll into her mother's hand. The woman held it close to her chest as Lacus touched her hand gently._

"_I'll be right back, Mommy. I'll go get Daddy," she told the woman before smiling sweetly and running out of the room, making a 'zooming' sound as she left._

_Lacus glanced up and down the hallway, looking for the tall blonde man wearing a blue shirt. She pouted in frustration and ran down a length of the bright hallway that also smelled of soap and something worse, but she couldn't name. Where was her Daddy? Mommy wanted to see him, Lacus had to find him! Giving up early, Lacus searched for one of the nurses in the light blue dresses who had brought her the coloring book. The woman was talking to another nurse at the big desk. Tugging on the woman's dress, Lacus' sour expression turned to a happy one when she asked where her father was._

_Just then, a strange sound like the fire drill at school echoed down the hall, and nurses were suddenly frantic and yelling as doctors in white coats hurried towards the room where the noise came from. Lacus followed the nurse as she hurried away, wanting to know what the sound was and also still needing to find her father. But Lacus stumbled when she saw all the people were running to her mother's room._

"_Patient coding!" someone yelled, and Lacus nearly fell in her hurry to reach the doorway. What she saw surprised her. Her mother was lying flat on the bed, and all those doctor people were standing around her and sayings things too quickly as they held all sorts of strange things. Lacus frowned, and gripped the doorway tightly._

"_What are you doing!? Don't hurt Mommy!" the small child screamed angrily, catching the attention of a doctor. The man frowned, and yelled for someone to move the child away. Lacus screamed at the nurse that came close, her eyes tearing up. "Get away! Get away from Mommy, you're __**hurting**__ her!" she screamed, but suddenly she felt her hands ripped from the doorway and strong arms were wrapped tightly around her and carrying her away._

"_Noo! Let go, let go! They're hurting Mommy!" Lacus sobbed, grabbing the arm that was holding her tightly with her own small hands. She looked frantically towards her mother's room and cried out again, reaching out for it, but then she was turned around and clutched against a blue shirt…her father's shirt._

"_Shh…Princess…shh…" the man whispered brokenly as he held the struggling girl in his arms. His whole body shook and his voice quivered as tears rushed down his face and frightened his daughter. Lacus stared up at her father, demanding he go to Mommy and get those stupid doctors away, screaming that Mommy wanted him._

"_Shh…" he repeated, bowing his head and kissing his daughter's forehead, his mustache rubbing against her skin. Lacus continued struggling and screaming, finally giving in to begging and pleading for Daddy to tell her what was going on._

"_Why are they hurting Mommy!? Mommy wants to see you, Daddy…I-I want Mommy! Take me to Mommy! Mommy!"_

"**Mommy!"**

Lacus cried out when she slid from the covers and fell to the floor from her bed. Beneath the long-sleeved nightgown, her skin was covered in a sheen of sweat and her eyes burned. Rubbing her face, Lacus' fingers came back coated in the salty moisture of tears. Running a hand through her bangs, she took a moment and then brought all her hair over one shoulder. Raking her fingers through the long pale strands, she used the sleeve of her nightgown to wipe her face.

"Another nightmare…" she murmured, as though trying to assure herself. Like all the other times, it didn't work.

Sighing, the girl pulled herself up onto her feet and turned as though ready to get back into bed, but there was a strange sensation sitting in her gut. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and she shivered slightly, but not from cold. Looking towards her bedroom door, closed and locked as usual, she stared hard at it, as though expecting it to burn down, but nothing happened. With a sigh, Lacus stepped away from her bed. Nothing happening seemed to make her feel as bad as though something had.

Stepping cautiously out into the hall, she looked down one way while closing her door partway behind her, and when she found nothing, she looked the other way. Seeing a streak of light upon the carpet just down the hall, Lacus felt her stomach drop. It…it wasn't that room…was it?

Taking a few tentative steps forward, and then another and another, Lacus slowly and quietly made her way down the hall towards where the light was coming from. Each step that took her closer made her insides tie themselves into knots and butterflies fluttered rapidly in her stomach. It was all a coincidence…just a horrible, awful coincidence.

Reaching the end of that stretch of hallway, Lacus took in a deep and unsteady breath. Peeking out beyond the corner of the wall, the girl felt her mouth go dry. She had to still be dreaming…had to…because…the light in her mother's old room was turned on.

Lacus was fully prepared to close her eyes as tight as she could and then open them, surely to awaken in her own bed and away from this cruel, twisted dream, but it would not be so. A sound came from within the room whose double doors were just slightly ajar. The sound of moving things around. Unsure if it was fear or false delusional hope that filled her stomach, Lacus took silent and careful steps towards the door till her hand rested on the cool metal of the doorknob.

A rush of memories flew to the front of her mind, mostly as stained glass impressions of an imaginative child. This room used to be her mother and father's room. Lacus remembered running to these doors as a small child during thunder storms and then jumping up into their bed to sleep nestled between them both. She remembered sitting on her mother's bed and telling her mother that she looked nice just before they left to go out. She remembered sleeping beside her mother in her parent's big bed when her father was away on a business trip. But most of all, she remembered the time she spent alone in that room. After coming home from the hospital, after her mother died, and after her father died.

No one had gone into that room in months…Lacus was sure of it, strict on the fact that no one was allowed inside. Meer simply never cared, and Noreen had never set foot into the room, claiming it ill luck to sleep in a dead wife's old room, and had demanded a new room chosen to be a master bedroom. Lacus swallowed thickly. She'd never even allowed the maid in this room, or at least her father had indulged her childish request that nothing of her mother's be touched. But now…someone was in the room, and they were touching things…they were moving things…her mother's things.

Throwing her caution to the wind, Lacus threw the doors open and stood in the doorway, glaring hatefully at whoever dared stand in Marianne Clyne's room. Lacus' eyes widened when her gaze fell across Noreen whom stood just across the room at the antique vanity, the drawers of which having been pulled open and emptied on the floor and across the vanity top. The two jewelry boxes that sat on top were opened, one having been left on its side. The contents spilled over the wood surface and a few pieces lay forgotten on the carpeted floor.

But Noreen stood amidst the mess looking pristine in her green silk robe and thick slate hair spilling over her back in waves.

"…you…" Lacus whispered, unable to find her voice.

Noreen glanced dismissively at the girl's reflection in the large vanity mirror. One eye brow lifted and the woman's lips drew into a thin line. "Lacus, it's late. Good girls would be sleeping at this hour." Noreen replied calmly as she lifted a thin silver chain in the light. Seeing a small shell spinning from the center, the woman scoffed and dropped the necklace before her pale hands moved onto another piece of Marianne's jewelry.

"How could you?" Lacus uttered, her hands shaking and her eyes wide and wild. Noreen turned to look at the girl, dark eyes roving up and down before a smirk alighted the woman's lips.

"Marianne left everything in this room, and I've so vehemently hated her all this time I didn't want to touch anything of hers." Noreen turned back to the vanity, picked something up, and gazed at it lovingly. "But I was being a prideful fool. Among the useless oddities, Marianne actually has a few valuable things here…though it's laughable that she had things as ridiculous as this," Noreen picked up a small thing and held it up. It didn't take long till Lacus recognized it, and she felt her insides churn.

Noreen held a plastic purple ring with a clear plastic flower atop it the same color. Lacus could actually remember when her mother got that and several others in a package of cupcakes she'd bought for a pretend tea party. Even the small things like that…she'd kept them…

"Really, most of this is all fit for the trash. Marianne never did develop a sense of regality, did she?" Noreen mused, dropping the ring to the floor.

Lacus clenched her teeth and growled, feeling tears burn her eyes as anger made her see red. "Don't you dare say my mother's name! You wretched harlot!" Lacus seethed, launching herself across the room at the woman in a fit of rage. The woman was surprised and gasped as she was slammed against the vanity. But she quickly regained her stature and turned on the smaller girl, steely gaze in place as an even colder hand swung out for the girl, catching her across the face and sending a stinging sensation to her nerves. Noreen kicked the girl's feet out from under her and pushed the girl to throw her unbalanced self to the floor, adding to the clutter.

"You ungrateful witch!" Noreen shrieked, glaring at the girl. Lacus hissed, and looked ready to jump up, but Noreen reached forward and grabbed a handful of the teen's long pastel locks. Yanking sharply, she got an edgy cry from the girl, and she dragged the girl up to only force her down over the vanity table, uncaring that Lacus' hands had come up to scratch at the older woman's wrist.

"How could my father have married you! He never could have loved someone like you!"

Noreen couldn't hold back her laughter at the girl's claim. "Silly girl, did you think it was out of love that Siegel chose me? You're as delusional as Marianne was," the woman preened.

"Don't speak about my mother!" Lacus roared, struggling to get up from the table, only for Noreen to pull on her hair.

"You brat, I've known your precious mother far longer than you've been alive," Noreen spat, making the girl still beneath her.

"What?" Lacus croaked, her voice small and shocked.

"We met at the same boarding school when we were twelve. Ever since then, there was always something that connected our paths, whether or not we wished for it. Marianne was a vain twit with her head in the clouds and her legs underwater. How a woman like that managed to interest a man like Siegel Clyne…isn't it obvious that the rich young man entitled to his daddy's business would love to have a strange little creature like Marianne for a pet?

"He chose her out of idiocy and hormones, marrying her right after university after chasing her since we were teenagers…what a fool. Look what it got him, too, a wife who died early and left him with a waif of a child." Noreen's tone turned from bitter to snide and she tightened her hold on the younger girl's hair. "And now the child's just as airheaded as her mother, letting anyone and everyone take a piece of her, am I right you wretched thing?" the woman taunted.

"Siegel chose me because I didn't need nor want love, I wanted what he had to offer and I had what he thought he needed: maternal experience. Do you understand now?" the woman asked, pulling the girl up and releasing her before shoving her back down. "Such a silly girl…you'll end up like your parents buried six feet underground in a box…considering the running time, shouldn't be much longer now, right?" Noreen chirped cheerfully, smiling disturbingly. "You could do me a favor and finish it off yourself, so much easier than waiting…"

"Mother!"

Lacus didn't register the figure in the doorway, she only saw red and Noreen. With a feral growl, the girl flew to her feet and stretched her arms out towards Noreen. The woman stepped back, but wasn't surprised. Lacus clenched her hand into a fist and threw it towards the woman's neck, but Noreen stopped her and grabbed her arm, just before bringing up a knee into the girl's soft stomach. Lacus gasped and saliva dripped from her mouth. Crumpling to her knees, the girl struggled dazedly, and looked up at the woman's fingers clenching her arm. But seeing something glimmer on the woman's finger, Lacus choked.

"That…that's her…" the girl breathed out, finding it hard to break, her chest constricting.

Suddenly, a movement in the corner of her eye alerted the teen of an approach, and somehow Meer was now standing between Lacus and Noreen. The older girl grabbed her mother's arm, shouting for her to let go of Lacus. Noreen frowned, but did as asked before tucking a lock of hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear.

"That's enough, Mother," Meer ordered, her gaze hateful. Noreen sniffed and placed a hand on her chest.

"Don't talk to me in that sort of tone, Meer. I raised you far better than that."

"Don't ignore me," the girl countered.

"Why are you wearing my mother's wedding ring?" Lacus asked softly, her eyes not leaving the thin silver band fit snuggly over Noreen's finger.

When it seemed Noreen didn't hear her, Lacus glanced into the woman's face, searching for her eyes. "Why?" she repeated, a deep sound that fell from her lips. The woman heard, and glanced down at Lacus as though the girl were trash like the rest of her mother's things. "These are my mother's things! They weren't meant for you to touch them, even see them! That's the band my mother wore because she loved my father! You can't touch it, you can't wear it! You shouldn't even be here!" Lacus shrieked, her throat straining at the effort. "You should just die! You should have died, both of you! Not my parents, not them!" Lacus continued, standing shakily as she said it.

But Noreen seemed to have fallen to the end of her rope and had nothing more to tie her down to her sanity. Eyes going wide and lips curling in hate, the woman threw herself at the girl, slamming her against the nearby nightstand upon which a vase of age-old dried flowers sat collecting dust. Her hands had circled the girl's throat, and her thumbs were pressing against the precious muscles kept within. Lacus screamed, her own hands clawing at Noreen's desperately as something that felt thicker than saliva drip from her lips in the corners of her mouth.

Just as spots began to appear in the girl's vision, a fierce cry filled the room, and Meer was at her mother's back, shrieking while trying the pull the woman off of the girl, her own hands reaching for her mother's wrists. Noreen pulled back one arm and her elbow knocked against Meer's chest, knocking her daughter back a few feet. The few moments of freedom allowed Lacus to tumble to the floor coughing and hacking, gasping as precious air filled her lungs once more. She looked over weakly and held a disorientated expression as she watched Noreen stumble to pick up the vase.

Meer stumbled towards Noreen just as the crazed woman lifted the porcelain and threw the thing towards the girl on the floor. Meer cried out in terror when she fell against her mother seconds too late, and the vase came closer and closer towards Lacus.

Time seemed to slow, and the girl stared at the object flying towards her, her hands reacting a second too late, centuries too slow.

'_Will it kill me?'_

Her only true reaction was closing her eyes just before the smooth porcelain crashed against her forehead, the thin pottery instantly shattering like fine glass as sharp shards scattered across the floor and cut into the teen's vulnerable skin and dried flowers crumbled to pieces and dust as the girl fell back, darkness and stars flashing beneath her lids or before her open eyes, she wasn't quite sure because one moment she was lucid and the next it was nothing but darkness.

When her eyes fluttered open for the first time, Lacus didn't realize or understand anything. Nothing at all…except that…there was something in her hand and there was a warm body holding her. Closing her eyes before the stinging pain brought any comprehension of thought, the girl smiled softly.

'_Kira.'_

The second time she awoke, she knew immediately that she was in her room. She also realized that her face hurt like hell, and there was a stinging pain along her cheeks and a horrible ache in her forehead. There were also wet tracks trailing down her cheeks, and before she could make any movement to wipe them away, a gentle hand came to dab them away with tissue. Lacus' eyes widened and she tensed as she tried to identify the body embracing hers.

Whoever it was, they wrapped their arms around her and cradled her gently to their chest while pressing their lips against her hair just above her ear. A tremor passed through her body, and the girl parted her lips, her voice only able to make unintelligible noise.

"Shh…you're safe now, Lacus," Meer whispered gently.

Breaking away from the careful hold of the other, Lacus cried out and tried to jump out of bed and disappear all in one attempt, failing miserably. Curling up on her side, she brought her hands up close to her chest and clenched them while squeezing her eyes shut, uncaring of the pain in her face. _"**Don't touch me!** Don't, don't, don't! Leave! Get out!"_

"Lacus…" Meer said quietly, reached for the other girl and grasping her shoulder. "I wanted to make sure you were okay, and that none of the cuts bled while you slept." The older girl explained softly, ignoring her younger sister's demands to leave. "I also got your mother's ring back, you've been clutching it and calling out for her all night," Meer said.

Lacus screamed once more for Meer to get out and jerked her shoulder away and out of the other's hold. The girl quietly lifted herself from Lacus' bed and made her way towards the bedroom door. "I left you water on your nightstand," and she left the room, closing the door behind her.

When she was sure she'd gone, Lacus uncurled herself, and opened her hands. Seeing the silver band in her palm, nestled between her hands, the girl felt tears sting her eyes. Bringing the ring to her lips, Lacus closed her eyes just before she cried out from agony.

The third time she awoke, she felt numb from the brain down. Pulling herself out of bed, Lacus dragged herself out of bed, coughing slightly. Rubbing her throat, she clutched her mother's ring tightly in her other hand and stumbled towards the bathroom. Though the curtains in her room were pulled closed, weak light was beginning to filter through, signifying morning.

Stepping into the more brightly lit bathroom, Lacus made her way towards the sink counter. Turning the water on, she cupped her hands and splashed her face, sighing as cool droplets trickled down her brow and moistened her lips. Wiping her eyes, she looked into the mirror and froze.

Staring back at her should have been her reflection…but there was something horribly wrong. Bringing a hand up to incredulously touch her face, she felt along a small scratch and then another along one cheek, the small mark across the bridge of her nose, and then lifting her bangs, her eyes widened when she saw the dark bruise forming to the side of her forehead with a thin cut marring straight through the center. It was the size of a large coin, and in the center she knew that there was a bump before she touched it and cringed from the immediate pain that followed. Bringing up her other hand, she felt along her jaw, searching for any more of the scratches or cuts. When her inspection came to her throat, her breath caught seeing the pattern of thin bruises along each side of her neck.

Blinking, she glanced down at the counter where she'd placed the ring, and tentatively picked it up. Slowly making her way out of the bathroom, she searched for her schoolbag and found it abandoned on the floor at the foot of her bed. Sinking to her knees, Lacus shifted so that she was sitting and holding the ring up to catch the intruding light, a ghost of a smile crossed her lips. Her other hand sifted through the bag and pulled out when she found what she was looking for.

Barely glancing at the phone, Lacus made sure the texted message was correct before hitting the send button.

_Im not coming to school. Im sick._

Flipping the phone closed, she dropped it and her hand moved up to her face, fingertips gingerly tracing the network of small scratches. Feeling her eyes prick with moisture, Lacus clutched the ring tightly and grinned helplessly. "He can't see me like this, right? No w-way…" her voice shook as she spoke, and she then doubled over sobbing. From what or why she didn't know, but she did know that it felt too good to stop.

_

* * *

_

The grass had appeared so vibrant and green; staring down at his feet for too long had given him a headache. Looking around, he was unable to keep his verbal excitement to himself, and in a small, childish voice untainted by the world's gloom, he awed. Everywhere he looked, something so colorfully sharp and bright flew towards his eyes, making him turn in a full circle as he tried to ascertain his surroundings.

_Stepping forward on small legs, he carried himself towards a wooden lattice, though the structure was near impossible to see for the thick branches of crimson and cream honeysuckle. Reaching a curious hand out to touch it, Kira drew back when a bird fluttered overhead and swooped up into a tree. Spinning in hopes to see it, the boy looked anxiously, his eyes unable to focus on any one thing. Flowers were spilling everywhere, here and there a butterfly lilted in the wind and the sound of morning birds chittering away was like a lullaby to his ears._

_Until another sound filled them, and he turned sharply, eyes wide. The sound again…his name…spoken by a voice long silenced. Stepping forward, running his palm along the honeysuckle blooms, the boy took one shaky step after another on uncertain, jello-y legs before the voice called out for him again, and he took off running through the maze of flowers and foliage that blinded him with color and felt far too tall for his body._

_A house had then come into view, at least a wall of one, and there was a door standing wide open beneath a veil of wisteria fronds that fell from the roof. The doorway and entrance within the house was dark, but the boy hurried forward. A flock of birds rustled in tree branches overhead, startling him and causing him to look up. A pair of butterflies flew past his nose, and when he looked back towards the house, the doorway was no longer empty._

_In it stood a figure dressed in a white summer dress, holding a small bundle and cooing to it as a baby's gurgles issued from within. Frozen in place, the boy watched as the figure rocked the baby, turning slowly while laughing gently, a curtain of thick violet locks swaying with the figure's movements. The figure then stopped, facing the boy. Kneeling down, the baby was moved to be held in one arm, and the other arm stretched forward, outward towards the boy. _

"_Kira,"_

_His name, carried as an echo on the wind chimed with that voice yet again, and the figure's face slowly came into focus as first a pale of pale pink lips formed a loving smile. _

"_Mama!" _

Running towards the figure, just as the arm closed protectively around him and the face's blurriness melted away to reveal a warm emerald gaze surrounded by violet, Kira started. Opening his eyes, just as a bar of light passed over his lids, Kira winced and blinked wearily, not recognizing where he was. The backs of his lids still determinedly held onto the place he could recall, where he'd been just moments before.

But rather than awakening in the Eden as a small child, Kira was grown once again and his body pained him with the realization. Attempting to move a hand to rub his head, the brunette widened his eyes and looked over to see a very deeply asleep blonde resting against the couch, her two hands gripping the older boy's own hand tightly.

Knitting his brow, Kira gazed blinkingly towards the living room window where the thin curtains were doing little to block the early sunlight. Looking back to Cagalli, Kira smiled gently and carefully pulled his hand from hers. Maneuvering masterfully, he was able to get himself off the couch without waking his sister, and the boy walked quietly to his bedroom. He wanted to shower and get changed quickly…her grimaced when he saw that he'd fallen asleep in his uniform. Luckily both he and Cagalli had a spare in their closets, but it was still a hassle.

Coming back to the living room after getting himself ready, Kira walked over towards the couch. Leaning down, he put a hand on his sister's head and shook it while ruffling her hair. "Wake up, lazy. You have to shower and get dressed for school," he chimed cheerfully, grinning when the girl groaned and awoke. Turning a golden eye up at her brother, Cagalli growled low in her throat like a disturbed cat.

"I'm getting up," she ground out, ducking away from his hand and standing. She paused for a moment, though, and her golden gaze fell on the tall brunette standing beside her. Feeling the cool metal around her wrist, Cagalli felt a small spark running through her veins. Seeing Kira awake, she didn't immediately remember the short episode last night, but when she did, she launched herself at her brother and embraced him tightly. "…I promise… " she murmured softly against his chest.

The boy gave the girl a confused yet amused look, and Cagalli merely smile as she pulled away and darted for her room. Making his way to the kitchen, Kira turned around to grab his bag to bring with him, but as he was picking it up, a few things fell out. Sighing, he knelt down and grabbed the pen and notebook, but reaching for his cell phone, a puzzled look crossed his face when he saw that there was an unread text message.

Flipping the phone open, he opened it, and his eyes widened. Lacus hadn't looked sick yesterday…maybe staying out later had given her a cold or something, they weren't exactly wearing jackets at the time. That thought alone sent Kira for a spiral of guilt, and he quickly typed a message back.

_I can bring you the homework. Feel better._

Closing the phone, the boy stood to go make breakfast and quickly. They'd gotten a late start that morning, they would have to hurry so they weren't late.

* * *

The school bell rang and students poured into the hallways, the usual sounds of groans and laughter filling the air. Miriallia rubbed an eye with her sleeve, frowning slightly. Katie skipped school again, and Mir had her test next period. It was no help to her that Dearka was staring holes in the back of her head. She'd been pleasantly unaware for most of the morning, having lulled herself into a blanket of false security that Kira and his news about Lacus being ill could faze her. It had taken Dearka a single action that from anyone else would have been nice to bring Miriallia's walls crashing down.

His hand had touched her shoulder, and he'd asked if she was feeling alright. She'd made the mistake of looking at him before ripping herself away, and the single glance at his concerned violet gaze threw her to the flames. Trying to ignore him during class, and trying to ignore her thoughts of him as she pushed through the hallway towards her next class. Running over the facts once more in her head, she hoped they were enough to drown out everything else.

By the time she was in her seat and had her pencil ready to fill in her answers, Miriallia's head was empty as her stomach. Hearing the others around her and their own pencils moving while hers couldn't, she closed her eyes and breathed in through her nose. The faux darkness beneath her lids reminded her of that morning, when the sun had just barely grazed the horizon, not that she could see it, Tolle's bedroom really did block out the light.

_Feeling a gentle hand running through her short hair, and the reassurance of healthy breathing beside her, Mir had been able to relax. Her body felt numb, but pleasantly so. Lifting a hand, she felt blindly along Tolle's bare chest, his face, and stopped when she reached his curly hair. Grabbing a handful and teasingly tugging on it, she laughed. "You cut your hair," she commented._

"_Yeah, it was getting too long," he said, chuckling lightly when he wrapped an arm around her bare waist, his fingers digging into her side. Mir snapped at him and her other hand dove beneath the blankets to scratch his wrist. "Ouch," he snapped, bringing his hand back. She sniffed smugly._

"_I like it short," she said after a moment._

"_I'm glad."_

"_I should be going. I've got to get ready and check up on Katie," the girl began to say as she sat up. Tolle hummed lowly, and reached out to grab her wrist when he felt her weight leave the mattress._

"_Stay." He offered, a strange lilt to his voice. Though it was dark, he knew Mir had shaken her head._

"_No way, I've got things to do." She replied back, a laugh brightening her words. Tolle let her hand slip out of his grasp and he heard her rummaging around the floor, looking for something. Just after she'd pulled her nightgown back on and stepped over to his window, the girl pulled the thick navy curtain back and began pulling it open._

"_Please?" His voice sounded small. Miriallia glanced over, the light from the window illuminating half of her face. It bore no trace of the tears from last night, nor the carefree ease from just minutes ago. Just seriousness._

"_I won't." And with that, she was gone, leaving the window open to let the heat escape._

Regardless of the bitter taste it left in her mouth, just the memory of early morning and the normalcy of the happiness and disappointment so unlike the stress of Katie's cancer had settled Mir's jumbled nerves, and her brain began to work properly yet again. By the end of the period, she'd finished her test and was reading over the final essay question, satisfied with it. When the teacher announced they'd be collecting the papers, she handed hers up with a relieved smile on her face and sighed as though a heavy weight was off her shoulders. Rubbing her eyes as casually as though wiping away sleep, she felt a cold shock pass through her when she found a thin film of moisture collecting around her lids.

Brushing it off as dust in the air, Mir set about readying her bag. She got up when the bell rang and swung her bag strap over her shoulder. Stepping out into the hall, she was prepared to go on to her next destination without a fluke, but she almost jumped when fingers brushed against her elbow. Turning around, she came face to face with Dearka's gaze. He was smiling slightly, and before she had the chance to snap at him, he grinned.

"You look good with a smile, Kitten," he said, winking in a friendly manner at the use of the nickname. Miriallia glared and pursed her lips. She was about to turn on her heel and storm off, but the blonde stopped her before she could, grabbing hold of her elbow. When she looked over her shoulder towards him, ready to bite him if it came to it, she was caught off guard by the look on his face.

"What…"

"Really. You should smile more often, it's good for you, you know," he added, laughing slightly. "That too, laughing is good,"

Mir frowned and tugged her arm away from the other boy, but gently. "I've got to meet up with Kira," she said, eyeing the blonde boy. "Would you leave me alone? She asked coldly, watching as it seemed to bounce right off of him.

"Sorry, can't do that." Dearka replied, crossing his arms behind his head while grinning stupidly. The girl stared at him for a moment, and then looked away. As she started to walk away, she half expected the boy to follow after her and grab her arm like before, but he didn't. Instead, he called after her yet again.

"I hope your nails are getting better."

His voice held a strange tone, like longing almost. It was like he needed her to give him attention, like he only wanted her to acknowledge his efforts in kindness…or maybe he wasn't vying after anything. Maybe he was just genuinely concerned…and Miriallia couldn't help clenching a fist as all the If's and Maybe's swam around in her head, not wanting to know which idea hurt her more.

* * *

Standing just in front of the wide doors to the manor, Kira stared uneasily at the folder of papers he held in one hand, and then the doorbell he was ready to press. He'd told Cagalli to go with Stellar or Shinn after school after wishing Miriallia his best for Katie – it really was nerve wracking for one's younger sibling to stay home sick with a cold all day, he knew the feeling. But for some reason, when he'd thought back to Lacus, and on the entire walk over to her home, he'd felt his stomach was in knots.

He thought it might be the guilt rising back up, from agreeing to stay out later with her in the cold, but after awhile, he began to really wonder. Shivering, he glanced up at the gray sky filled with clouds. It had begun snowing yet again in the middle of the day, and a new crisp layer of the freezing flakes had begun to settle over the ground.

Shaking the worry from his shoulders, Kira turned back to the door. Pressing his thumb against the doorbell twice, he stepped back and waited. He was a bit nervous after waiting for almost a whole minute without even hearing anything from inside, but just as he was preparing to ring the bell again the sounds of the door unlocking caught his attention.

One of the doors opened and Kira smiled warmly, a greeting ready on his tongue, but the words died on his lips and the smile fell and gave way to an expression of horror and concern. Lacus stood despondently in the doorway wearing nothing but a white button-down nightgown with a cold expression on her pale face, which was littered with small, angry red scratches. Her bangs fell over most of her face, and her pale blue eyes held a dark expression as she stared up at the tall brunette.

"L-Lacus," Kira stammered, the homework folder falling from his hands as he stepped forward to gently bring a hand up to her face. His cold fingers traced over her cheek just barely touching, and he went to move her bangs away to look for more damage, and was shocked when his eyes fell across the bruise.

His voice wouldn't cooperate with him, and as he tried to ask her what happened, her own hands lifted to rest on his. Her cold expression softened some, but Kira wasn't comforted by it at all. Feeling tears pricking his eyes, he felt his body tense at the realization. Shaking his head, Kira felt his knees go weak.

"Oh Lacus…" he breathed, taking her smaller form in his arms and cradling her close.

She pulled away but not completely from him and looked up at him, one of her hands moving up to brush across his cheek while her other arm snaked around his neck. Standing up on the tips of her toes, she leaned against him while pulling her body against his and graced her lips over his.

The kiss was a shock and felt strange, different from the other times they'd kissed, but Kira hesitantly closed his eyes and kissed her back. One of her legs pressed between his, and the boy's eyes flashed open widely. She pulled away just enough to look up at him with a masked gaze and whispered, "Come in, please…"

Kira stared at her, worry and trepidation crossing over his expression. She looked away from his eyes and back to his lips, quickly leaning closer to kiss him again. "Please…_Kira_…" she breathed, desperation in her voice. Kira's brow furrowed, and his hands held the girl close but were unable to move as she pressed her lips against his once more.

**So my dear readers…is this chapter good or what? I know I shouldn't really be bouncing, but I loved picturing and describing everything. I really liked diving back into this world, I hope you also enjoyed the fruit of my constant labor for the past few days. All I did literally was eat, sleep, and type…and shower, obviously.**

**Now, if all went according to plan, questions and intrigue should be swimming around in your head. Oh, and yeah, Lacus' mother is named Marianne (like from Code Geass) because I like that name and other than Marianne turning out to be as horribly insane as Charles, I still liked her, and I don't think Lacus' mother ever actually had a name in the series…And I like writing Miriallia's parts, I dunno why, but I like connecting with her character. Maybe it's the short hair, mine's about the same as hers…maybe shorter, I dunno. Oh, and as for how it may have seemed that Noreen overpowered Lacus, I see it as a woman like that would surely think everytime she's in public every rapist and kidnapper and robber in the world would target her so she might as well work out, and as far as I know, a lot of women take self defense classes. A fully grown woman like Noreen could easily be a problem for Lacus who isn't so physically active or attuned, and has a smaller stature...just wanted to explain my theorizing.**

**Now, the usual begging for reviews, I really love hearing from you guys and your comments really are like crack, oxygen, and love combined for me. I dunno when the next chapter will be up, but I'll be starting planning immediately, and I'll put in lots of effort this summer, Otaku's Honor! Oh, and I've been wanting to draw some scenes from FYAI, so if I ever get around to it, I'll get myself a Deviantart page or whatever and let you all know so you can all see and judge me. After getting my second consecutive award for artistic skill from my school, my ego got a bit of a boost. So, I hope this chapter sufficed for me taking a forever-and-a-day hiatus and I can't wait to read your reviews!**

**Love Always,**

**Sam**


	19. Stand in the Rain

**For You and I**

I'm sorry in advance about this chapter, for some reason I haven't been writing as well as I've wanted to lately. Can't seem to write anything I'm proud of lately…And thanks for all your reviews, they were amazing, guys. I got my hair done the other day and the hair lady accidentally made it red, but that's cool, it looks great. And I might get to go to Japan next summer, which would be pretty rad, and I'm a junior now. School depresses me…anyway, on to the chapter! Oh, and I may be trying to make chapters shorter from now on (_What? This old gimmick again?_) Just to see if I can make updates faster. I'm sure you'd all prefer a shorter weekly update of FYAI than my _**OVER 9000**_ month long breaks that give you all twenty plus pages to read.

**Chapter 19 Stand in the Rain**

Somehow, Kira really didn't know for sure, he'd been led inside the eerily quiet manor and up a flight of stairs. He'd quietly allowed Lacus to grip his wrist in her wraith-like hands as she led him to a dark room that he assumed to be hers. His voice of reasoning was screaming, begging him to stop before something went too far…but the look in Lacus' eyes had silenced his lips and tongue.

The smaller girl stepped almost as though on tiptoe towards her bed, and before Kira could blink, he found himself pushed down on the mattress, face up, with an almost frightening Lacus on top of him. Her knees sunk into the mattress on either side of Kira's waist, and her paper white hands gripped both wrists tightly, pressing them against the cool sheets. Violet eyes stared up at her, shock paralyzing the boy's body.

Cold blue met warm violet, and Lacus' lips parted, her half lidded gaze causing a shudder to pass up Kira's spine. Leaning down, her lips met his, still cold from the air outside, and the brunet was almost lost in the feeling. He felt her hands slip from his wrists and slid down the fabric of his sleeve till she reached his chest, and she broke away from the kiss to sit up, straddling his lap. Kira stared back at her, brow furrowed and trepidation running in his veins.

_This is all wrong…_

Lacus' lips pulled into a half smile, a turning up in the corners of her mouth, and her pale gaze drifted over Kira's front. Her pale hands went to the first buttons on his shirt beneath the blazer, but a startled sound surprised her from the boy's throat. Gazing at him curiously, she lowered her gaze instead to his waist and began to tug the black dress shirt up out of the waistband, her fingers immediately rushing to the zipper.

Voice of reason finally breaking from its silenced prison, Kira began to struggle and his own hands went to the girl's, grabbing them gently but with enough force to stop her. The madness was going too far.

"Lacus, wait. What are you…" he began to reason, eyes concerned and a bit wary. The girl shook and jerked her hands from him, clutching them in front of her as she trembled. "L-Lacus…" the boy began, worry hitting him from all sides.

"Kira," she murmured, a soft expression crossing her face. Looking up at him, her eyes were wide and watery, lips quivering in time with her shoulders. "I want you," she whispered, smiling hopefully at him. "You like me, right? So…" her hands moved, and Kira's gaze flickered to them to see that she was reaching for his shirt again. She brushed his shoulders and leaned forward to press a kiss to his jaw and was moving down to his throat when Kira struggled, nudging an arm against her to make her sit up once more.

"Lacus, what the hell are you doing?" Kira asked quietly, tone serious and eyes narrowed. She flinched at the harsh words, but slid her hands against his chest anyways. The boy reached up to grab her wrist, his eyes locked with the blue gaze that wouldn't meet his.

"Please Kira…I want you to…" she began to say, soft voice shaking around the nervous smile on her lips. "…to please…take this away…" she whispered, tears dripping down her pale, scratched face.

"W-what?" the boy asked, confusion breaking his resolve. The girl breathed in shakily, and her other hand clutched the shirt fabric tightly in her pale fingers.

"You can take it away! You can erase it, make me forget it…" she said, almost hopefully with another nervous smile plastered to her face. "See? We can…" she began to say, her free hand drifting towards his tie to loosen it.

_This is wrong._

"No!" he gasped, pushing her hand away, a wide eyed look on his face.

Lacus stared at him, matching his gaze. Blinking her pale eyes, she trembled, and shook her head. "What's wrong with me!?" she shrieked, bringing her hands to her face. "Why don't you want me!? I'm not…I'm not…" she stammered, shaking her head and holding back sobs. Her arms trembled and her hands ran anxiously through her hair as she struggled to keep her uneven gasping breaths under control.

Looking up at him, she glared and her hands flew to her own nightgown this time, quickly plucking at the buttons. Her chest heaved up and down as though in a panic.

"I need you! Why won't you just…I'm giving myself over, right!? This is what you want, right?" she asked hysterically, nearly screaming at him as she shook her head in agitation. Her hands fumbled and she tore at her clothes, as though they were burning her.

Kira gazed at her, shocked into a panicked silence. Seeing her with tears running heavily down her marked face, the expression in her eyes, and her body shivering as she tried to rip her clothes away, he felt his nerves begin to work once again. Narrowing his eyes, he reached for her and grabbed her hands, stopping her.

"No! No, no! Let go!" She cried out, shaking her head. "Please let me…let me…please!" she begged, forming words around hiccups and gasps, unable to even find the right ones. He forgot about being gentle and careful, and merely made his only goal to stop her.

_This madness needs to end._

"_**Lacus, stop it!**_" he shouted, struggling against her surprising strength, though it was nothing compared to his own. In only moments, despite her sobs and protests, Kira had pushed her off of him and onto her back down on the mattress. Pressing her wrists into the bed, he tried to use his weight to keep her from getting up, and after a few attempts of a struggle, she gave up with a gasp, resolved to lie there breathing heavily.

"_Just stop it,_" Kira repeated, expression still hard but his voice cracking. He stared at her face, flushed and soaked, strands of light hair plastered across her cheeks and forehead with sweat and tears. Blue eyes still watered, and her lips quivered with each breath. "_Please, stop…_" he said again, his visage cracking to show frightened concern, and the girl glanced at him, immediately averting her gaze when their eyes met.

"Don't you like me?" she asked weakly, frowning at nothing but the air she stared at. "If you did…you'd make me forget about everything…" she added, voice soft.

"Not like _that_, Lacus!" Kira nearly shouted in exasperation, wincing at his own volume. "I…I'm sorry," he said apologetically as he released her, moving to sit back and away from her on the bed. He watched the girl as she rolled onto her side, and pulled herself up into a sitting position. One of her hands lifted to wipe her face on her sleeve, and she visible flinched, causing Kira to reach for her instantly.

"Ah, Lacus! Are you okay," he began to ask, turning her in his arms to look over her face. The girl looked up at him with a pained expression, and a strangled sound escaped from her throat.

Throwing herself against his chest, she clung to his shirt and buried her face in the fabric that smelled like familiar detergent and something else, the scent she knew as Kira's. Shuddering, she sobbed and curled further, if it was even possible, against his chest. His arms immediately came up around her, like a shield, and she felt as though something were washing down over her shoulders. Hiccupping, she rubbed her freshly moistened cheek against his shirt.

"…ed…o…e…" she whispered against him.

Pulling her away slightly, Kira lifted a hand to her face, being extremely mindful of the scratches, and locked his gaze with hers. She looked at him and glanced away, and forced herself to look back at him. A pained smile lit her lips and she brought a hand up to brush her bangs away from her face, as though attempting normalcy.

"…I wanted to die…" she repeated, a lost look in her eyes and that ghastly smile stretching her lips. She watched as Kira's own expression crumbled to one of agony and he fell against her, his arms around her body and his face buried in her shoulder. Breathing in sharply, Lacus stared still at where his face had been moments ago, unable to move.

"Lacus, I'm sorry!" Kira cried into her shoulder, his own body shaking against hers.

"Why?" she asked softly, closing her eyes and allowing him to lean against her, savoring the feeling, despite the situation.

"Because…you felt that and…I…" Kira stammered, unable to find his words. "I didn't know…"

"How could you?" she asked, bowing her head. His arms were tight around her, but she…didn't want him to let go.

"…I-It doesn't matter!" he defended, pulling away from her to look at her. "I'm your friend, I'm supposed to protect you…" he stated weakly, his eyes pained. "And what about…your face…" he added in a whisper, releasing his hold on her to cradle her head in his palms, holding her delicately.

Lacus blinked away the wall of tears and lifted a hand up to rest over one of his. "You can't protect me from everything…" she replied, attempting reassurance but only twisting the knife in the boy's chest. He bowed his head, and his hands slid down her neck to rest on her shoulders.

Pursing her lips, the girl felt her stomach clench uncomfortably and her heart sink in her chest. Averting her gaze, she brought another hand up to touch the bruise on her forehead, and winced. It hurt.

"…Do you…want to know how this happened?" she asked quietly, not watching as Kira lifted his head to stare at her. The sick smile spread even farther on her face, and she moved to break out of the boy's tight hold. His arms fell reluctantly from around her and let her go, and she brought up her knees to hug them against her chest.

"I shouldn't tell you…it could be bad…" her head rolled to the side and her haunted blue gaze fell on Kira's concerned face. "It's like a big secret…you would know about those…wouldn't you?" she asked, her eyes narrowing for only a moment and only a teaspoon of acidity was in her voice, but the harsh look faded and she looked away while resting her chin on her knees.

"Lacus…did someone…do that to you?" Kira asked difficultly, gazing at the girl with such a pained gaze. He purposefully ignored her comment towards him.

"Of course…I only hurt myself where people couldn't see, don't you remember?" she asked icily, and the tone and imagery from memory caused a shiver to run up Kira's spine.

"Wh-Who, then?"

"The woman who pretends to be my mother…" Lacus said, almost amusedly. "We had a fight last night…she left early this morning for the airport…" Lifting her left hand, she glanced at the silver band around her middle finger, and held her hand out for Kira to see. "It was over this little thing…ridiculous, isn't it? All the pain and the aches for some stupid little piece of jewelry…_that belongs_…_**to a corpse!**_" the girl screamed, her words having been punctuated with shaky breaths.

"My real mother left me when I was just a child, she left me all alone! I was here, and she wasn't anymore…just gone," Lacus sobbed bitterly, jerking her hand back to grip her knees tightly as she buried her face.

Kira gazed on, not sure what to do and crushed when the girl flinched after he tried placing a hand on her arm. He winced, but recognition kicked in and he leaned closer.

"But, what about your father?" he asked, trying to pull at straws and hope to find the lucky one.

The girl froze, and she lifted her head to gaze off into space. Tears ran down her stained and flushed cheeks, and her lips twitched.

"He remarried _her_, and then he died. He couldn't save me…_even though he tried_…" Lacus whispered, shaking her head as images and flashes of memory flew back behind her eyes and she shuddered.

"What do you mean?" Kira asked, confusion and fear rising in his throat. He threw away the boundaries and reached for the girl, grabbing her by the shoulders as he moved to kneel in front of her "What do you mean, Lacus?" the boy repeated, furrowing his brow. "Has this been…" he glanced at the scratches on her face. "…going on for…" he tried to say, but Lacus glanced up at him and a pained smile cracked her lips.

"You wouldn't be able to understand…would you, Kira?" she asked, more or less to herself, as Kira blinked and tears slipped down his cheeks.

"I can't understand anything if you don't tell me…Lacus, please just trust me! Tell me everything so that I _will_ understand! I…I…" he stammered, his hands trembling while gripping her shoulders. He flinched when he felt one of her hands brush against his chin.

"Kira…" Lacus murmured softly. "I…killed my father." She whispered, watching the boy's eyes become impossibly wide.

* * *

Miriallia stumbled tiredly into her room, thankful that Ray and Lisa weren't home. Ray of course had work, but Lisa had left a note saying she'd gone to the store. If she had the strength or desire, Mir might have been worried. But really, she couldn't find it in her to care. All she needed was curled up under a mountain of blankets with a traitorous cat purring beneath.

"Katie, I'm home," the short haired girl greeted quietly, slowing walking over towards her sister's bed. Sitting down on the edge, the girl smiled when she could just barely make out the top of her sister's head from beneath her blankets. Reaching forward to stroke her hair, Mir sighed silently.

A sharp scent met her nose, and glancing down to the floor, Mir saw the plastic bucket she usually used for cleaning propped up just beside the bed. But inside of it was certainly no cleaning product. Lips falling to a frown, the girl stood and picked up the bucket before silently bringing it to the bathroom.

Washing it out in the tub, Miriallia returned to the room and was surprised to see Katie sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes as she looked at the growing pile of makeup work waiting for her. Placing the bucket back where she'd taken it from, the older girl nodded when her sister mumbled a quiet thanks.

"Lisa took you to the doctor today…right?" Mir asked, eyes masked.

Katie nodded, and a hand went to absently brush through her bangs.

"After all this time, I still get freaked out by the needles!" Katie said with a half joking tone to her voice, and Mir's eyes flashed to the ashen girl's arm where a dark bruise with a yellowed outlining rested in the crook of her elbow, not covered completely by the small bandage that was stuck there. But their attention was soon focused on the papers which the auburn haired child gripped in pale, bony fingers.

"This all looks really hard," Katie rasped, coughing and wincing as she rubbed her throat. The fat orange blob of fur in her lap purred louder, and Amber nudged her head against the small girl's stomach.

"You don't have to do it all right now," Mir assured her, gingerly sitting down beside her. "If you want, I could even go over everything with you," she continued, but Katie shook her head.

"It's okay…I just really don't want to do it right now," she replied, setting it aside before lifting the cat in her arms. "Amber, do you want to do my homework? It'd be awesome to have a genius kitty, wouldn't it, Milly?" Katie asked jokingly, smiling as she set the cat down.

"Yeah, it would," she agreed, reaching out to stroke the feline's back and tail, much to the creature's pleasure. Though that could have just been from Katie scratching her chin.

With a sigh and a groan, Katie moved as though to get out of bed. Looking up with a gaze that seemed to personify assistance, Katie lifted a hand and shook her head to Miriallia.

"I'm just going to go shower, okay? I feel really bleh…" she explained, stumbling towards the bathroom, and quickly closing and locking the door behind her.

Glancing towards her little sister's homework, Miriallia went to reach for it, but Amber growled. Jerking her hand back, Mir gazed at the furry blob as she stalked towards the papers and analyzed them as only a cat could, before deciding to plant her rump on the pile. Settling down as though she owned the place, Amber turned her slitted gazed on the teenager with a look that just seemed to dare Mir to try and take the papers now.

"Stupid cat…" Mir grumbled halfheartedly, falling back into her sister's bed. The bouncing earned a yowl from the cat, but Miriallia didn't really care. Turning her head on the pillow, the auburn haired girl breathed in the scent of her sister's pillow, able to smell a plethora of aromas that had come to cling to her sister these past few weeks. The sharp antibacterial scent, the gentle scent of baby shampoo, the harsh underlying scent of vomit…Miriallia breathed it in, and gazed across her sister's pillow. She was all alone…

"Huh?"

Sitting up, Miriallia reached over to pick at something strange that she saw, and lifting it from between the pillow and the discarded blankets, gasped painfully. A long lock of auburn hair…not just a strand or two…but…Tossing back the blankets and pillow in a panicked frenzy, Miriallia couldn't find her voice and a garbled cry slipped from her lips.

"No…no, no…_no way_…this is…it's all…"

Hidden beneath the blankets were several more locks of hair, scattered across the mattress, having been hidden underneath the pillow. Dragging her hands across the bed, Miriallia tugged and pulled, bringing the soft, forgotten locks together to be held limply in her hands. Tears burned and Mir clenched her eyes closed tightly till inverted spots flared beneath her lids.

The showerhead came on, and her eyes flew open. Hot twin tracks ran down her cheeks and Miriallia threw herself from the bed. Dropping her sister's hair, the older girl pounded her fists against the bathroom door, screaming for Katie.

"Katie! Katie! Please, open the door!" she screamed, gasping over her tears. Shaking her head, Mir felt her stomach turning flips inside her body.

"Why didn't you tell me!? Why!? Katie, please don't leave me alone in the dark! Please…don't…" Miriallia sobbed, collapsing against the door only to slowly slide down to the floor. Pressing her forehead against the door, she weakly hit her fist against it again.

"Please don't abandon me…please don't…leave me alone…" she pleaded, drawing her legs up close to her chest and curling up against the door.

Something soft and warm nudged against her side, and Mir heard Amber's deep purr. Biting down on her lip, she hit the door again and again, giving up when her teeth punctured her lip and blood rushed over her tongue. Gasping in surprise from the taste and pain, Miriallia felt her gut clench and a boiling in her throat. Covering her mouth with her hand, she turned and reached out desperately towards Katie's bed and grasped the bucket, dragging it over.

Her mouth was filled with acidic mush that burned the back of her throat and nostrils and as she bent over the bucket, it oozed out from between her fingers before slopping into the pail. A few more gags, a fiery rush of hellish bile, and a number of dry heaves left Miriallia gasping and sobbing, her dirty hand gripping the bucket and her free hand clutching her stomach.

Looking back to the door, Miriallia leaned back against it, hitting her head against the door as she shivered. "Katie, please…open the door…let me in…" she begged, unable to stop the rush of tears that burned down her cheeks.

* * *

After going to Stellar's home after school, Cagalli had decided she wouldn't stay for very long and just wished to head home. Stellar had agreed to accompany her, and the two girls had begun the trek to the golden eyed girl's home, jokes easily falling from their lips and laughter coming easily.

"Oh, I totally forgot I was supposed to start dinner tonight!" Stellar suddenly exclaimed, a worried look on her face. Cagalli glanced at her and grinned, nudging her shoulder.

"Head on home, my place is just a few blocks. I'll be fine, can't let Neo skip out on a night of burnt macaroni and cheese, right?" the girl teased, earning a playful huff from her friend, and a quick lunge into her arms. "Whoa," the girl exclaimed, her arms coming up on reflex to grab the girl who was hugging her tightly.

"Bye Cagalli, see you tomorrow…say 'Hi' to Kira for me, would you?" the girl asked. Stellar pulled back from the friendly embrace and smiled apologetically to Cagalli then and turned away. Just as she was about to run back to her house to avoid being late, Cagalli called after her.

"He'll be fine, I promise!"

Stellar lifted an arm in acknowledgement and ran off, not glancing back, not giving Cagalli the curiosity to know as to why Stellar looked so troubled.

Cagalli stood for a moment before resuming her trek for home. The thin layer of snow on the sidewalk was crisp and crunched a bit beneath her shoes, and the blonde shivered. Cold weather was never really her thing. But as she came closer to her street, she noticed someone else who was leaning against a black car that didn't look quite old, but rather dated and didn't quite fit in. It looked almost familiar, but the girl couldn't place where she'd seen it before.

She would have passed the whole thing off as weird but pointless, but as she walked past, the man looked up and called to her.

"Excuse me, but could I ask you the time?" the guy asked, and Cagalli paused at the oddness of the question. Glancing over her shoulder towards him, she glared icily and looked him over. Faded jeans, turtleneck, and a coat that fell to mid thigh didn't leave much to impress. If anything, he looked like one of the college students Cagalli had seen occasionally in the shopping sector with Stellar not too long ago.

"I'm not wearing a watch," Cagalli said, and turned to continue. She didn't notice the guy slip a small digital camera from his pocket to his palm, and she noticed nothing when his fingertip pressed the capture button and the flashless image was taken.

* * *

"Wh-what? You, you killed…" the boy stammered, hoping that he'd misunderstood, or worse…hoping that if it was true that somehow it had been deserving…but imagining Lacus doing something so awful sent a chill through Kira's chest and he felt his hands shaking.

Looking away, Lacus lifted a hand to her face and covered her eyes, her pale bangs falling over her bowed head like a curtain. "Maybe it shouldn't be said exactly like that…but…I might as well have." She explained, her voice trembling. "If I hadn't called him that night, he wouldn't have…he never would have died," she forced out, her shoulders trembling.

Kira couldn't figure out how to hold his relief, pain, and further confusion as he gazed at the girl. He wasn't going to urge anything out of her unless he thought he had to, but with her offering to reveal something to him, and then struggle to do so…The brown haired boy reached out to grasp her arm, but the girl flinched and jerked away from him, unable to look at him as she held herself.

"I'm sorry, Kira, but I…you can't touch me right now…you probably won't want to touch me ever again if I tell you everything," she murmured, a hint of agony in her voice that made Kira bristle, not being able to hold her for his comfort and her own. But…he would give in to her request, and he agreed to keep his distance.

Nodding, Lacus inhaled shakily and turned so that her back was facing Kira and she couldn't see him. Rubbing her arms, she shivered again and exhaled heavily.

"You know how I transferred here little over a month ago? I used to live here before, when I was a child, but three years ago, something…happened…and I was sent to a boarding school in Februarius City. My step-mother, Noreen, was the one who decided to send me away…she didn't want to see me anymore…

"When I was growing up, after my father had remarried, I had an older sister…you've seen Meer Campbell, that girl with long dark hair…She was friends with a lot of people…and none of them liked me. I just wanted someone to like me, to be my friend…so I let them say horrible things about me, tease me, order me around, just hoping that they would decide that one day I was good enough…" Lacus' voice faded in thought as her memories swirled behind her eyelids and began to drag her down into a dark place she'd been avoiding for so long.

"One of her friends was a boy…Ketsuke. He was older, much older than me, but the first time we spoke, he didn't say anything mean. He never did any of the awful things the others did…so I guess I thought it made us friends. It really was stupid of me to think such a thing, really…" Lacus stammered, lifting a hand to wipe her face as she curled further around herself.

"One summer, a few months after I'd turned thirteen, my father had been far away on business as usual and Noreen had had to go away for her own work for the weekend. Meer decided to throw a party, and people I'd never seen before came with Meer's friends. I had gone up to my room before it all started, not wanting any part in it. I didn't like being around any of Meer's friends in the first place.

"But…sometime after it had gotten dark, I was trying to just go to sleep…when Ketsuke knocked on my door and came in. I wasn't comfortable with the situation at all, and he didn't even turn the lights on. He started talking to me, and coming closer till he was sitting at the edge of my bed…" the girl's voice hitched and she coughed, the momentary silence unsettling her, but not nearly as much as she would have been if she'd seen the look brewing in Kira's eyes.

"I told him to leave, asked him nicely and got to screaming at him…b-but he just hit me and told me to be quiet. He ripped my clothes, and he was touching me and wouldn't stop…I begged him to stop, I really did…but he didn't. He…he…" Biting on her lip and digging her fingers painfully into her arms, Lacus shook her head as her shoulders trembled.

"I didn't know what to do then…I sat awake rocking in my closet for hours…until I finally found a phone and called my father's secretary, asking where he was…and when he came on the line, I couldn't talk straight but he told me he would come home that minute, on the next plane leaving for Shoals…I went back to my closet and laid there for hours, rocking myself and crying for my father. But when the door opened, it wasn't my father, it was Noreen. She had been crying…she told me my father's plane had crashed because of storm interference…and then she left me there all alone." Lacus whispered, rocking back and forth on the bed, her breathing erratic.

"I cut myself for the first time…though it was by accident…when I embraced a frame with my father's picture in it. The glass cracked and slit open my arm…and it felt…" her voice weakened and faded.

"L-Lacus," Kira murmured, his voice weak as though on the verge of tears. Reaching out for her, his hand brushed her shoulder and the girl jerked away.

"No! I'm dirty, I'm…I'm no good! It was my fault my father died, all of it was my fault…" she began to say rapidly, lifting her hands to her face, scratching as though trying to alleviate some horrible itch. "I could have stopped it! I…I could have done something, but I'm dirty…I didn't do enough, to…to stop it…" she sobbed, gasping out in agony.

Kira grit his teeth and threw himself at the girl, pressing her face-down into the mattress and pinning her wrists to keep her from flailing. She struggled vehemently against him, but it didn't last long, and she finally gave up. When she had calmed enough to breath regularly, Kira carefully moved off of her, and turned her to face him when she rolled on her side to keep herself facing away.

"You can't touch me…I'm dirty," she whispered, staring up at him with an icy blue stare.

Shaking his head, Kira reached a hand over to gently brush her hair away from her face.

A loving expression flashed across his eyes as he lowered himself to lie beside her, his hand resting on her cheek. His lips turned up slightly in the corners in an attempted smile, and his palm ghosted over her cheek and down her neck where he noticed the dark marks akin to someone's fingers. His gaze hardened, but he blinked it away, wanting only to express one thing.

His hand moved along her arm, and then tugged the sleeve so that her hand came towards his own, and he could grasp her smaller hand tightly. Bringing it up to his lips, the brown haired boy pressed his lips against her fingers, and brought her palm against his cheek.

"No matter how long you wanted to destroy yourself over this, I won't let you anymore," he said quietly. "There's nothing you could have done, and you could never be at fault, even if you think of some deranged reason as to why you should be punished so cruelly."

The boy closed his eyes and breathed in deeply before opening them and gazing straight into her pale gaze. "Even if you hate me for it, I won't let you hurt yourself with blame or blade, I don't want you to ever know pain like this again, Lacus," Kira swore, releasing her hand to instead grab her sleeve which he eased up as far as he could along her arm.

"I'm…broken…" she whispered, fear crawling in her words.

Pale, hair-thin scars littered her arm, and the boy stared coldly at them, making the girl wince and try to pull her arm away. But Kira wouldn't let her, and instead leaned forward to press a kiss to the inside of her wrist, and another, and another as he slowly made his way up along her arm.

"Dirty…no good…broken…even if you were all those things, I'd still want to be the one here right now beside you," the boy admitted, his eyes flashing up to gaze at her. "If you were dirty, I would help wash you, if you were no good, I would help renew you. If you were broken, I would fix you," Kira promised, pressing a kiss to her scarred arm again.

"What if I…kept breaking?" Lacus murmured, daring to move closer, despite the fear of rejection burning in her veins.

"Then I'll just have to fix you every time, won't I?" Kira replied, smiling affectionately to the girl.

Lacus watched with wide eyes as Kira brushed her bangs away with his hand, and leaned forward to press a kiss to her cheek over a scratch. She lay frozen as his lips ghosted over each mark, and she felt as though the air was slowly stolen from her lungs when his lips met her own.

"Kira…" Lacus murmured.

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry…I knew you were troubled by something, but I never knew it was something like…If I had known…" the boy stumbled over his words, and guilt had become plastered over his face. Lacus pressed her hand against his cheek and brushed it gently.

She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his cheek. His other arm moved to wrap around her waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Burying her face against the other's neck, the girl closed her eyes to keep the tears at bay. "You've done enough, Kira," Lacus mumbled. "Just being you, just being near me has been enough…" the girl admitted. "Staying beside me…you don't know how it makes me feel…" she added quietly.

Kira turned his head to press his lips against her hair, kissing it lovingly. "I promise to stay beside you, and I promise I'll protect you from any more tragedy," he assured her, steely eyed and lips pursed. "I swear, I don't want anyone to ever hurt you again, I'll keep you locked in my arms if it'll keep the world away from you," he added, a small smile lifting his lips. The small, tired laugh that escaped the girl's lips relieved the boy.

"But Kira…you can't protect me from everything…" she reminded him again, looking up at him. "I'd be devastated if you were hurt, so…" Lacus pulled herself up to press her hands on Kira's shoulders as she leaned over him, staring down at him with a small smile. "I'll protect you, too."

"If you do that, it'll make protecting you even more difficult," he retorted, lifting a hand to stroke a lock of hair that fell from her shoulder.

"I'm not going to let someone as weak and kind as you tough the world alone," the girl said in a teasing manner.

"Maybe we'll just have to just watch out for each other's backs, then, and play hero when the other doesn't realize it," he laughed, and tugged playfully on her hair, earning a low chuckle.

"Deal. But as for right now and everything…" Lacus began to say, a tired expression falling over her face as she lowered herself back into Kira's embrace. "I want you to watch out for my back and my front. I don't want to play hero at all right now, I'd rather you play the knight, just for right now," she conceded, grinning at him only to then press a chaste kiss to his nose before nestling in her previous position.

"Of course," Kira agreed, and his arms draped around her protectively.

It wasn't long before the girl fell asleep in his arms, and Kira found himself being lulled to sleep just listening to her breathing. As his eyelids grew heavier, he couldn't help the bloom of ice spearing into his heart. He wouldn't allow Lacus to feel that pain again…and whoever did that to her would suffer. Before darkness overcame him, Kira saw a small seed shattering behind his eyelids, and then there was nothing.

* * *

It was long over an hour before the bathroom door finally cracked open, and Miriallia jerked and twisted to look up at her sister. Her long, beautiful hair was wet and plastered down past her shoulders, and the frail girl's body was practically being eaten by the large terrycloth robe she wore. Miri tried to ignore that her skin almost matched the robe's white color.

"Katie!" Mir rasped, but the younger girl made a shushing sound and shook her head as she lowered herself carefully to her knees.

"I'm the sick one…shouldn't you be taking care of me, sis?" Katie asked with a weak smile as she brought a damp cloth to her older sister's face. Mir stared back at her with wide, red eyes and her lips trembled. Katie quietly went about rubbing her sister's eyes, cheeks, and mouth gently with the cloth. She also took Miriallia's dirtied hand and wiped it clean.

"Milly…" Katie began, but Miriallia stopped her when she threw her arms around her thin shoulders.

"Oh Katie! Wh-why didn't you…how could you not…" the girl stammered, unable to find her words. Burying her face in Katie's shoulder, the girl sobbed. "Why are you abandoning me? Why are you leaving me all alone!? We can't be alone, we shouldn't! We…we…Katie," Miriallia whined, losing her composure and internally screaming in fear that her wall of strength was deteriorating.

"Miriallia…you're going to be alone soon…I didn't want it to be impossible for you, so…so I…tried to start now, so you wouldn't be so unprepared when…when I…" Katie tried to explain quietly, the weak smile unable to keep the tearful words from shaking in her throat.

"Shut up! Just stop it, Katie, stop!" Miriallia screamed out, frightening the both of them. "You're not going to fucking die, so stop talking like you are!" the older girl argued, shaking her head. "We're both going to suffer if you keep pushing away, so just fucking _stop it!_" Mir growled, tightening her arms around her sister.

"Milly…" Katie whispered, blinking away the moisture in her eyes. She didn't want to cry…she couldn't anymore. She had cried too much already.

The sisters sat in silence for what felt like hours but were truly only minutes. Finally, Mir lifted her head from Katie's shoulder and sat back, lifting a hand to delicately stroke the long wet tresses of her little sister. Katie, stared back at her, and her own hand rose to brush against Mir's and then run through her hair, coming back with several strands of hair trapped around her fingers.

"…Why didn't you tell me…sooner? At all?" Mir asked quietly, carefully, as though she herself feared the answer.

"It started a few weeks ago…not long after the treatment started…" Katie admitted, averting her gaze. "I…It wasn't so bad in the beginning…just more hair came out when I brushed it…and then I started finding it on my pillow when I woke up…and then more came out in the shower…" the small girl explained difficulty, gazing at her hand and fingering one of the strands with care.

"Oh Katie…" Miriallia whispered, gently embracing her sister against her chest.

"I…I'm scared, Milly…I don't know…what I can do…" Katie confessed, resting her head against her sister's chest, breathing in shakily.

"Umm…well, how about we do something…with this…" Mir suggested, the hope trying to break through in her voice but almost failing as she stroked her younger sister's hair.

Katie pulled away from the embrace and looked up at her sister, fear and terror deep in her eyes, but love and trust swimming even deeper. With a hesitant nod, Miriallia stumbled to her feet, and helped Katie up as well. Leading her back into the bathroom, Miriallia lifted Katie's small frame to sit on the sink counter and afterwards dug through a drawer till she found what she was looking for. Lifting it for Katie to see, the smaller girl gave her older sister an amused look, but merely shrugged her shoulders helplessly and nodded.

* * *

Opening the front door, Cagalli was surprised to find the entire house dark and silent. Dropping her bag by her shoes in the front hall, the blonde strode curiously through the halls, turning on lights and called out for Kira. Rather than panicked, the girl was more confused and bewildered.

When her search proved him to be absent, she found herself wandering past her room and padding towards another. His.

She'd passed by previously, but had only opened it a crack to see he wasn't inside. Now, she stood in the doorway, hand resting on the doorknob and eyes searching the darkness within. With a deep breath, she pulled open the door and reached inside to find the light switch, flicking it to illuminate the room with light.

Everything was neat and tidy, put in its place and positioned perfectly. But even like her room, it was sparse. There weren't photographs resting on every surface like in Stellar's room. There weren't posters of bands and cars taped to the walls like in Shinn's room. There wasn't a cloud of pet hair at the foot of his bed, either. Living with Muruta didn't exactly provide an environment for creativity, then alone pets.

"He'd probably beat them, _too_," Cagalli murmured bitterly as she crossed the room. Glancing at her older brother's bed, Cagalli turned and dropped herself onto the mattress, sighing as she plucked at the comforter.

It'd been awhile since she was in here last…She hadn't been coming to him late at night with bad dreams or concerns lately, trying little by little to stop acting like a scared little girl. If anything, it was like she was building herself up towards her decision last night. Flopping back, the blonde ran a hand through her hair, and glanced towards the alarm clock. Beside it was a folded square of paper.

It wasn't that she was maliciously nosy or intrusive, really it was curiosity, though that may have been just as bad, anyway. But the girl sat herself up and reached towards the paper, her fingers closing around it. Unfolding it carefully, she found her stomach twisting in knots wondering what was inside, what Kira had written there. But when her eyes fell on the revealed paper, she found herself with the wind knocked out of her chest.

There weren't any words written on the paper, but there was evidence of two different pens. In the center, in purple ink, a circle had been drawn. In black ink another circle had been drawn beside it, slightly off shape like the other, and they connected along one edge. It looked like the infinity symbol, and Cagalli found that her mouth had gone dry.

* * *

"There, all done!" Mir said, attempting to sound optimistic as she put the blow-dryer away with the scissors. Katie looked at herself in the mirror, a reluctant hand lifting to touch her hair, now cut to just below her ears. The long locks were now coiled on the floor and in the sink, but Katie didn't look at them. Just at her hair, now possibly shorter than Cagalli's, and a careful and quick glance to Miriallia's hopeful expression.

Turning to look at her sister, Katie smiled and reached over to grab Mir's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Thank you for taking care of me all these years, Milly." She said quietly, massaging her older sister's hand with her thumb. "And I like my hair," she added.

Miriallia smiled, her lower lip trembling, but she didn't allow the burning moisture in her eyes to fall. Wrapping her arms around her sister's shoulders, the older girl buried her face in the short mess of hair her sister's locks had been reduced to. As Katie's arms came up around Mir, and her small hands patted her back, a wall that had unknowingly been erected around them crumbled and a flood came in.

Katie's strength vanished and she began to sob into Mir's chest, her bony fingers digging into her sister's back as she seemingly clung for life. Her voice cracked and she whimpered, unable to voice the unleashed fear that held her around her throat in a vice grip.

Rubbing her sister's back, Mir squeezed her eyes shut tightly and pressed her lips to Katie's head, her own body shaky.

_Please…_

Her eyes opened and the teenager found herself staring over Katie into the mirror, into the frightening gaze of her own reflection.

_Please don't take her…I won't let her go. I fucking swear it._

"Milly…I'm not going to die, am I?" Katie asked in a pained whisper. "I don't want to die…I'm scared."

"No," The older girl smiled and shushed the smaller girl, rubbing her back and nuzzling her hair. "You're not going to die, I promise. "

_I fucking swear it._

* * *

The metal of the ring felt cool against her fingers, and she clutched the thing tightly in one hand which she pressed against her chest. Her cheek lay on his shoulder, her other arm draped over his chest and clutching the sleeve of his shirt. His own arm was resting over his stomach, and his other hand was placed over her arm, gently smoothing his fingertips over her elbow.

They'd been lying like that, trapped in an all too surreal bubble that didn't flow with the rest of reality. There were only the thin strips of gray light that barely broke through the curtains now to illuminate the room, the sun surely having begun to set or have done so already. Time was unimportant to them there, really, surrounded with silence and the comforting embrace of the darkness with only the touch of the other reminding them of the physical.

"Kira, could you stay here?" Lacus murmured softly, turning her head slightly to gaze up at the boy's visage. He looked back with a soft expression and his hand pressed against her arm.

"Yes," he replied, moving just a bit so that he could press his lips to her forehead. There was nothing else able to break into his thoughts that moment that could ever possibly draw his attention away from the pale girl. "Yes…" he repeated, closing his beautiful violet eyes as she leaned towards him to allow their lips to meet only briefly.

"Thank you," she sighed in relief, his answer a lullaby, and her voice like a drug as they were both dragged back to the darkened world of dreams.

Outside of the dark bedroom, in the darkened hallway was a figure on the floor, hunched over with her knees drawn up to her chest and her back to the wall not but an arm's length from the room's closed doors. Forehead resting against her arms, long hair falling over her like a curtain, clutched in a death grip in one hand was the folder of homework, just a bit damp and wet in one corner.

**You can thank the completion of this chapter to the song "Stand in the Rain" by Superchick, it really gave me shivers that it fit so well with the mood of this chapter and also is a great song. So! Kira knows! And let me tell you, you may not see it quite right now, but he's pissed. Royally. Oh, and just to get it out there, from the beginning of this plot point, I never planned on Kira and Lacus having sex at all, just wanted to get that out there. We also have some Cagalli development and the mysterious man has been seen! But what's up with the camera creeper? What's with Meer? What's with the infinity symbol? All will be revealed…some sooner than others. Perhaps more puzzle pieces will be revealed next chapter? Who knows…well, except **_**me**_**. **

**Miriallia and Katie are really tugging my heartstrings, though, I can't wait to get deeper! There is plenty coming up soon, and as someone mentioned something amusing but true to me not too long ago, I've paid Athrun's ransom and he'll be returning next chapter, and every character's got new plot points from hell to be dealing with, but I'll let you all stew on them!**

**So, like always, my usual review begging. I love you, I love that you like FYaI, and I love your reviews and messages. Creepy as it makes me, I like to read over your reviews when I'm feeling awful, and I always feel better. I hope you give me plenty of reviews and I'd love to hear your thoughts! Goodbye for now, everyone, hope the new school year doesn't kill us, and I hope to give you all the next chapter soon!**

**Love,**

**Sam **

**Ps.** I'll probably be tossing out one-shots more frequently now, and a new obsession of mine is with _Delinquent!CagallixLacus_. Something about Cagalli with an aluminum baseball bat, steel toed boots, and a surgical mask with innocent little Lacus intrigues me…and I've recently become re-obsessed with Vocaloid and Legend of Zelda…and Pokémon Colosseum, that game is so fun…


	20. Lonely People

**For You and I**

Alright, as it is probably painfully obvious, anything close to a weekly update is impossible for me. School is just way too overbearing for me to be able to set aside enough time, but I'll at least put in the effort to get updates in hopefully less than two months between, or something like that. I've drug myself too far into this to just allow myself to drift away again, and I owe it to all my precious readers, who probably suspect how I can love them so much and yet drag them through mud with my hiatuses. Thank you Efflorescent, morbid333, heavens-gaze, goldfish demon, muibadah, silent-diov, and everyone who reviewed, it means a whole bunch to me.

Now, this chapter is late due to school and really unpleasant things going on in my life that I won't bore you all with explaining. Pretty much all that's keeping me happy now is…well…not much…just the cosplay costume I have for an anime con I was supposed to get to go to. I was going to be dressing as Genesis from Final Fantasy…But I'm sure all of you are a lot more interested in what's going on in the story and just want to get into reading it, so let's get to it, I tried my best to get something good out for you all.

**Chapter 20 Lonely People**

Faint rays of light from the dawning sun spread through the thick gray clouds, piercing the land below with beams of warmth that reflected off of the fresh blanket of snow that covered the streets and lawns. Tall trees still kept much of the early sun from peeking over the community, but in a matter of hours the far off star would be high above them, possibly even melting the chilled clouds and warming the air.

The heavy drapes in Lacus' room kept the first flecks of light from entering her bedroom, but slits between the windows and curtains were eventually taken advantage of. Long bars of light stretched into the room, alighting on the faces of the sleeping couple and disrupting their slumber.

Eyelids trembling, Kira issued a small groan and pressed his face closer to the warm surface he was laying his cheek against, and soft locks of hair pressed against his forehead. Smooth lips brushed over his forehead, grazing his skin just slightly as the arm that had been lazily draped around his waist moved. A hand slowly ran through his hair, petting the back of his head in an affectionate manner while barely audible humming issued from a pale throat now marred by purple bruises.

Violet eyes cracked open, and at first only saw white from the glare slipping past the curtains, but then his vision came into focus and Kira could make out Lacus' own visage. She was sitting up, propped up by the pillows, and her hair made a soft rose curtain by falling from her shoulder. Her blue eyes were staring down at him, and he felt her fingers running gently over his cheek and twining in his hair, a gentle smile on her lips which looked chapped and bitten.

"Good morning," she greeted quietly, leaning down and brushing his hair from his face to place a kiss on his brow, just over his right eye. The corners of her mouth twitched and her smile widened to a grin, the look as though she were ready to laugh caught in her eyes. "You're almost as adorable waking up as you are asleep," she informed him teasingly, poking his cheek.

"Wish I could say the same…" he joked back in a sleepy voice jumbled by a chuckle. His own arm lifted and he reached for her elbow, pulling himself up from the warmth of the pillow. He couldn't do much but laugh sleepily when Lacus pursed her lips trying to mask her amusement as she pushed him back down with a nudge of her arm.

"You're not very agreeable in the mornings, are you?" Lacus mused, leaning over him and running both hands in his hair, bunching the soft dark locks between her fingers.

"What are you doing?" Kira questioned, amusement tugging at his lips as he stared at her quizzically.

"I like your hair short like this," she replied, tugging a piece gently. "Maybe my hair would look nice short and layered?" she mused, wincing suddenly in a pained way.

The boy brought up a hand quickly and held it just over the large bruise on her forehead, not wanting to touch it and cause more discomfort. She shook her head, and he nodded, opting instead to run his fingers through her bangs.

"Don't." he finally said.

"Huh?"

"Don't cut your hair, it's nice like this," he said, stroking a long lock of hair that fell just in front of her ear.

"All right, I won't," she quipped back with a small smile, voice quiet as she leaned down to press her lips to the corner of his mouth.

"What was that for?" Kira then asked, a light flush to his cheeks and a shy smile coating his lips.

"A good-morning kiss," she replied easily. "It's still pretty early, we should go back to sleep…" she began to say, glancing at the clock on her nightstand. Kira's gaze followed hers and his eyes bugged seeing the threatening numbers.

Suddenly realizing what he'd done, a million worries began to fly through his mind as he clumsily tried to sit up, his balance completely off. Apologizing to Lacus quickly, he pulled himself out from her bed and tripped down to the floor, mumbling something about finding his schoolbag.

"Cagalli must be worried sick, she'll be ticked that I never even called," Kira said in a panic, coming across his bag that had been dropped the previous afternoon. Rummaging through the schoolbag, the brunet went from relieved to horrified in seconds when he found his cell phone, only to realize that it was very well dead.

"Damn it, this is bad," he began to say, but suddenly a pale hand snatched the phone from his hands. Looking over his shoulder, Kira leered at Lacus who sat on her knees, holding his phone in an almost taunting way, though her expression didn't match.

"Hey, I need that back!" he began to say.

"You're phone has the same port as mine, I can charge it for you," the pale haired girl said, pointing with her other hand towards another door. "You go shower, towels are in the linen closet. It'll all only take about eight minutes, right?" she asked, turning the phone to confirm her charger cord would work properly.

Kira stared at her wide eyed, another flush staining his face. Lacus glanced at him and adopted the blush as well, along with a pinched expression.

"I'm not going to jump you or peek or something! I promise," she added, waving her hand. "Now get going, I may live closer to the school but you're still walking, right?" she asked, and the boy coughed a bit in embarrassment as he stood. In an awkward fashion, he headed towards the bathroom, glancing over his shoulder anxiously all the way.

"Boo!" the girl snapped humorlessly, and turned back around when she heard him enter the bathroom and close the door, locking it for good measure.

Hearing the shower start up after a few moments, Lacus sat back on her bed. Bringing up a hand, she cautiously ghosted her fingertips over her face, feeling the sore and swollen bumps and bruises, afraid to touch the large wound to her forehead.

"I must look really awful," she murmured quietly, refusing to lift her eyes to the vanity mirror on the other side of her room. She could feel it; she didn't need to see it, too.

* * *

Athrun didn't need to walk to school; in fact, he wouldn't think to do so in this weather…that is if his father hadn't demanded the keys to his car. Grades again, and Athrun had even been doing better…obviously not good enough to please his father, but what did he care? Guy was a bastard anyway…the one who paid the bills.

Usually in the sort of situation he didn't have a ride, Athrun could always call Dearka, but he was…The raven haired boy sniffed reproachfully.

Yzak had his own car as well, but even the platinum haired boy had begun to begrudge speaking with Athrun very much. Narrowing his emerald eyes and chewing on his lip, old force of habit he thought he'd kicked numerous times, he shrugged off his annoyances. Tried to, anyway.

That morning wasn't particularly forgiving, and the fresh layer of snow on the ground wasn't helping. Someone at some point had thrown down salt on the sidewalks and streets, probably public service much earlier that morning, and the thick white crystals were crunching and scrapping beneath his shoes.

He was so lost in thought that Athrun never even noticed the approaching figures till he'd bumped into one, and another had grabbed his arm.

"The hell," he began to snarl, eyes flashing angrily and muscles tense. What he saw surprised him, but he made no revelation of it on his face.

"Into the alley," a girl's voice murmured calmly, and the two other figures dragged the struggling boy between two closed stores.

Athrun growled and ripped one arm from the grip of one boy and slugged the other before a hand grasped his wrist again. Hissing in pain, the pale boy doubled over when a fist found its way to his stomach. Using the opportunity, one of his two assailants grabbed both of his arms and twisted them behind his back, holding so tightly it felt as though they were breaking.

"Doesn't feel so nice, does it?" the same girl's voice asked, and Athrun glanced up to see a girl wearing the Kurenai Sakura Uniform, and a badge was wrapped around her upper arm. Her face wasn't familiar, but he thought he may have heard her voice before.

"Fuck you, bitch. Too weak and pathetic to get me yourself, you need goons? Real classy." The dark haired boy spat viciously.

"Like I care what some Freshman says," the girl waved her hand and took a few steps closer. The two boys around Athrun didn't take their gaze off of him, though one gave the girl a cautious look.

"You're nothing but a common bully, and you pick on kids weaker and softer than you," she continued, a look of disgust on her face. "It's gotten really annoying, especially with all the rumors going around now. You're in way over your head." She added with a dark smirk.

With a nod of her head, the boy beside Athrun pulled back his fist and delivered a quick blow to the sixteen year old's stomach again, sending Athrun shaking to his knees. The younger boy gasped and spat on the ground, lips trembling in anger and heart pounding in his chest.

"Bitch…" he stammered, breathing unevenly and wincing from the temporary pain.

"The Disciplinary Committee can't touch you like you deserve at school, but out here there's no one who cares what happens to you. Kind of ironic, right?" she mused, strolling over to kick at his knee.

She knelt down and balanced her elbow on her knee, peering at him as he cringed. "It's like you and Azrael Kira's positions were switched, right?"

Athrun looked up at her then with wide eyes, a shocked look on his face. The girl scoffed and stood, straightening out her skirt while she uttered a quick order to the two boys.

"Don't break anything."

Several minutes later, the girl looked back at the three boys from her place at the mouth of the alley where she'd been keeping watch. Seeing the state of the blue haired student, she nodded and began to walk out, the other two following her silently without a word or backwards glance at their victim.

One boy walked just beside the girl, and the other reached a hand casually around her waist, ducking his head so that he could question her quietly.

"Why that kid? Did Azrael ask you for a favor?" he asked curiously.

"No, I wanted to do _him_ a favor." The girl said with a shrug. "He helped me out on my homework once, he's pretty nice. Besides," she added with a creeping smirk. "Giving Zala a beating and actually having a good reason for it felt nice. Freshmen need to realize their place."

"And what about Juniors?" the boy beside her snickered.

"He's okay," she replied, nodding her head towards the other inquisitive boy. "I may be a bit biased, though," she added, her own hand going to rest on the one holding her waist.

Back in the alley, Athrun struggled to pick himself up from off the ground. The knees of his pants were a bit damp and his blazer was already wrinkled slightly, but by far the worst damage had been to his body. His legs were aching, his stomach was burning from pain, and it felt like his insides had been twisted around and shoved to new places.

Coughing, he spat sour tasting bile to the ground and wiped his mouth on his sleeve, panting heavily to try and bring in enough air to his sore lungs. His face wasn't quite hurting yet but he knew that it wouldn't look its best too long from now. Already, he could feel his cheek swelling, and he was sure his eye wasn't faring well.

"_Damn it…"_ he growled shakily, slamming his fist against the brick wall of the building he leant against. Cringing from the strange feeling the action sent up his arm, Athrun rubbed his wrist with his other hand. After a quick inspection, he realized that the two guys really hadn't broken anything.

'_Makes sense…I'm not in any real serious pain anywhere…'_ he thought to himself.

Scowling, the boy searched the ground for his bag that had been flung from him upon being dragged into the alley. Finding it, the blue haired boy pursed his lips, glaring at a wet spot in the corner where the leather had been lying atop some loosened snow. Checking the inside and finding his things still dry, he sighed and stood up uncertainly.

Though his legs were a bit sore at the moment, he was sure he'd be able to get to school just fine. Nonetheless…his hand reached into his pocket to grab his cell phone. He could call Yzak, see where he was and if he could pick him up…

With a sigh, Athrun let go and took his hand from his pocket to instead run it through his hair. A solemn look crossed his face and he began walking. He could take a beating like a man, this was nothing. No one saw, surely those three would say nothing about it. Now that he thought about it, all three of them wore the same white badge on their arms.

"That girl said…the Disciplinary Committee…" he murmured to himself, and it finally clicked. On the first day of tenth grade, during the opening ceremony, the faculty introduced the new members of the DC. It was always two seniors, one head chair and the other vice, and a junior elected to serve as head after the seniors graduated who would choose their next vice. Freshmen where just expected to look on in awe or fear apparently.

Scoffing, Athrun shook his head and realized some snow and salt had gotten shoved in his shirt collar. The DC were pretty quiet around school, he'd never really bothered with them, thinking them a pointless form of student government. Almost as worthless as the puppet student body president. Apparently, they were a little more to deal with.

He'd simply get revenge; maybe beat the shit out of that girl – that would certainly send the message that he wasn't scared. Athrun stopped at the street corner, looking down to stare at the tips of his shoes with a mask of indifference on his face. He wasn't scared…

Absently, he lifted his hand to grasp his arm…the same place Azrael had gotten him all those months ago in the autumn. He wasn't scared of some weak kid, Athrun knew, gritting his teeth. He wasn't scared of some pathetic Disciplinary Committee. He wasn't, he really wasn't.

So…why couldn't he take another step and cross the empty street?

* * *

Cagalli sat on the ledge, watching as middle school and high school students came in through the front gates, happily chatting with one another, dancing giddily about the snow, or grumbling for the weather. Nothing was different, it was all the same…but she gripped her cell phone tightly.

It _was_ different. It was _all_ different. Kira wasn't there.

She'd thought it was some awful nightmare or something, and she woke up in the middle of the night, thinking to run to Kira's room to wake him up to apologize to her. But it had only been a second that she realized she was in Kira's room, having fallen asleep on his bed. Immediately, she'd gone to the living room to sit on the couch and wait for him. It didn't matter that it was one thirty in the morning, surely he was just really late and would be home any minute.

It was then that she realized she was still clutching the paper she'd found on his nightstand, and again she had stared in horror at the symbol on it.

Even now, in the pocket of her blazer, the paper was burning and threatening to disintegrate her heart into ashes…but the blonde girl kept it there. Gold eyes scanned every head that came onto the campus, and never once did she not blink without calculating it certainly. There was no way she'd miss Kira, even if he was late to school, she'd sit out there all day.

"Hey, Cagalli!"

The blonde made no move of acknowledgement, but that didn't stop the other blonde girl from skipping right over cheerily. Stellar was grinning from ear to ear as she leant against the tall wall of the ledge her friend sat upon.

"Morning! It's really cold, isn't it!" she asked with a dramatic shiver.

"I don't think so."

"Aw, come on! You're wearing leggings and boots, and you have that scarf Kira gave you last year, doesn't mean you can't agree with me," Stellar poked, glaring teasingly up at her friend. She watched carefully as Cagalli's hand came up to grasp the scarf she wore.

It was from Kira…it hadn't been a special present or anything but he didn't like Cagalli's disregard for the weather. She'd thought it stupid before, since the colors weren't her style at all, being all matter of pinks and purples with gold stars. She'd demanded why Kira had gotten that specific one, and he'd laughed while saying he thought of her when he saw it. She still didn't see why, but it was really warm…

Without a second thought, Cagalli unwrapped it from around her throat and dropped it onto Stellar's shoulders.

"Here, you can borrow it." The girl said quietly, her gaze still trained on the gates.

Stellar stared up at her worriedly for a moment.

"Hey…Cagalli? Did you get any sleep last night? You've got dark circles…" the girl remarked quietly.

"I'm fine."

"…Where's Kira?" Stellar asked then, glancing around. Always the siblings had come to school together, but this morning the older brother was nowhere in sight. "Is he…late?"

"I don't know."

"Well, is he walking with his girlfriend?" Stellar asked, her voice just barely hitching over 'girlfriend.'

"I…don't know." The older girl repeated, narrowing her eyes. "Just get to class already, I'm staying out here."

"O-okay…" Stellar murmured, clutching the scarf tightly in her hands before she rushed off towards the school where the promise of warmth awaited.

Cagalli shivered when she left, rubbing her arms through her blazer. She really should have brought a jacket, but she had left home in such a rush…With mild concern, she was glad she'd opted for her black leggings; they were far warmer than stockings.

Time was slowly crunching down, and despite outwardly refusing to acknowledge it, Cagalli was beginning to feel fear welling up inside. Worry and agony mixed in a painful twist within her chest and the ache they created pushed through every nerve. Biting her lip, she pushed herself off the ledge, only to land unsteadily on her feet.

A hand came to rest on her arm and steady her, and she looked up in excitement, thinking that Kira had shown up at the perfect time, but she was disappointed to find herself staring at some other boy's face. He smiled and nodded to her, murmuring to be careful before catching up to another boy and girl waiting at the high school entrance. Though the blonde girl wasn't concerned, she noted absently that the three all wore white badges around their sleeves.

Looking out at the entrance gates, Cagalli took a few steps towards it, her lips falling in just a bit of a frown. She was so busy looking for a head of familiar brown hair that she didn't notice when someone bumped into her. Turning her head, the girl bristled upon seeing the familiar dark blue locks of one Athrun Zala.

Gritting her teeth and tensing, the blonde was surprised when the boy's emerald gaze rested on her for only a moment, and then he turned away, not even bothering to look back at her, murmured an unintelligible apology, and continued on his way stiffly towards the high school.

Blinking, Cagalli stared after him. His expression…was different. Pursing her lips and glaring, she jerked her gaze away from his retreating form and again stared at the entrance gates. A few more steps and she was practically running to leave the campus. Standing on the sidewalk, she looked up and down both directions of the street, wondering if she'd see Kira hurrying to meet her.

A few students were pushing past her to get inside, especially when the ten minute bell rang, but the blonde girl stood outside, unhindered by some ridiculous bell. Her golden eyes bounced from every face she could, and disappointment grew with every person that wasn't her older brother.

It was when the crowd of students pushed through and past her that she cast another look up the road and saw him.

Walking with a slightly quickened pace, Kira reached the school gates in a matter of seconds, appearing just a bit flushed as though he'd been running. He saw Cagalli and grinned sheepishly, an apologetic look on his face.

"Cagalli, I'm so sorry about last night," he began to say, but the blonde girl surprised him.

Before he could say another word, she'd turned on her boot heel and began stalking towards the school building. Kira followed after her, having caught the blank and almost annoyed expression on her face, but he couldn't get her to turn around and face him. He reached out to grab her shoulder, but the girl jerked away.

"I'm going to be late to class!" she barked and then took off running for the doors. Kira stared after her, eyes wide and mouth agape, but another warning bell rang, and he had to tear himself away to get to his own building and classes.

* * *

Whatever the teacher was saying and lecturing about wasn't nearly important enough to keep the blonde girl's attention. Cagalli sat at her desk near the back of the room, her head on her arms and her book propping up her elbow, the old smell of glue and ink resting in her nose and not bothering as much as it might have.

Her gaze was trained outside, it had begun snowing gently again, and tiny white flakes were swirling down from the thick, cloudy sky. Her classmates had exclaimed about it nearly an hour ago, but she was the only one to still stare. How could history be more important than what was happening now? Outside? Where the sky was releasing thousands upon millions of little tiny crystals that miraculously melted or stuck together upon their landing?

Her golden gaze flicked to the empty desk in front of her, and a heavy feeling settled over her chest. Katie was sick again. More often than not her place was unoccupied, and even when she was at school, she was always so withdrawn and tired, it was like she wasn't there at all anyway.

A small thing hit the back of her head, and she heard the sound of paper hitting the desktop. No doubt another folded note from Shinn. The blonde shifted in her seat, but didn't move to look at her friend who was sitting in the desk to the right of hers. She didn't want to see the concerned look in his eyes, just like she didn't want to deal with Stellar's concerned words.

Biting her lip, Cagalli winced and a shiver unrelated to temperature shook her shoulders. She didn't want to deal with any of them, any of it. Glancing at her hand, she clenched her fist and heard a tiny crinkle of paper, the paper with the treasonous symbol on it. Least of all did she want to deal with anything about her brother.

* * *

Dearka finished his quiz and looked ahead of him, wondering if Miriallia had already finished. With surprise in his violet eyes, the blonde was shocked to find her hunched over her desk, the telltale rising and falling of her shoulders showing that she was fast asleep.

Sure, he'd noticed that she was getting irritable and cranky, and there were near constant circles under her eyes. But of course, whenever he tried to talk to her she blew him off. Not that he was giving up, but he'd conceded to give her the space she seemed to think she wanted. Frowning softly, he leant forward, propping his chin on his crossed arms, his nose inches away from her back.

She was one of the few people who took off their blazers, and while the red garment was draped over the back of her chair, her black dress shirt gave a bit more shape than the thicker uniform jacket…and Dearka didn't even care.

Dearka was the first guy to gladly dare loosen his tie and grin when summer uniforms were regulated. He was the guy to gladly observe the girls' shorter skirts and short sleeved sailor tops in the warmer months. He didn't care that Miriallia looked nice without the shapeless blazer, he didn't care that he could smell the soap she'd used in her shower. He did care that he could smell someone's aftershave on her.

He cringed and grit his teeth when he remembered how that morning, he'd seen Miriallia stepping out of some old car and the guy who drove her was smiling and laughing with her. She'd smiled at him, Dearka had seen it, and he'd heard her laugh.

Clenching his fists, he buried his face in his sleeve. Why couldn't she look at _him_ like that? Why wouldn't she try and act like that around _him_? He _was_ trying, wasn't he? He'd been nicer, he was…

And then Dearka's nose caught the scent of aftershave again and his stomach flipped. Raising his hand, the blonde waited for the teacher to call on him.

"I've finished my quiz, may I go use the restroom?" he asked stiffly, and the teacher nodded after a moment, asking for him to bring his quiz paper.

The boy stood and as he walked past Miriallia's desk, he subtly nudged her elbow, waking her. "Finish your quiz…" he whispered almost silently. He didn't look back to see her expression as he turned in his paper and left the room, his hand shaking. She probably hadn't even looked at him…what would she care, right? She never seemed to want his help anyway…

Reaching the restroom, Dearka headed straight to the sinks, thinking he was going to vomit. He wanted to, God, he wanted to. That scent, the scent of someone else on Miriallia, her ability to look so normal around someone else, it made him sick to his stomach. He wanted the acidic feeling in his stomach to rise, burn his throat, and splash into the sink basin. But no amount of dry heaving was going to get his body to comply.

With a frustrated groan, he slammed his hands on the sides of the porcelain basin, gripping them till his knuckles turned white. His eyes were squeezed shut because he knew he didn't want to look at his reflection in the mirror. He already knew he wouldn't like what he saw.

"I'm such a…" he croaked, throat tight and voice strained. Heaving and crying out as though in pain, he felt tears burn his eyes as his stomach complied with his wishes too little too late and bile splashed the sink basin and burned his tongue with a sickly sweet taste.

* * *

It was scary where one's mind went when you were home all alone with nothing to do.

Lacus had freshened herself up, dressed in a sweater and loose pants, and found balm to rub into her scratches, but nothing dulled the ache for every time she looked at Marianne's ring. No matter which calming effect the aspirin or cream held, a sharp pang hit her full force with every reminder, but the girl just couldn't take it off her finger. It was a bit too large to fit on her ring finger, as where her mother had worn it, but it fit her index finger just fine, and that was enough.

That entire morning, she's wasted her time trying to rest, brushing her hair, lying on the floor and staring up at the windows – the angle made everything seem different – but nothing fully distracted her or occupied her mind before it slithered into something dark that she didn't want to understand.

Yesterday, she'd bared her agony completely before Kira, and while he'd reacted in a way that made her feel warm, there was that small voice in the back of her mind saying it wasn't enough. That just telling him wasn't enough, just saying it wasn't…But God. She'd finally said it. Everything…or as close to everything as she _could_ say.

But it didn't feel any different, there was still a block enclosed around her lungs that still made it hard to breathe when she dwelled too long in her own darkness. Yet now, there was something festering…growing…and it tasted poisonous. Opening her eyes, Lacus saw through the window bordered by drapes that snow was falling. Lifting her left hand, she pressed the ring absently to her lips. The snow…it looked different, yet the same. Her lips twitched, the corners tugging upwards in an unfamiliar way, but she wiped it on the back of her hand and sat up.

Standing, she decided to go clean her mother's room, surely Noreen wouldn't have since she'd made the mess…but Meer…Lacus froze. Narrowing her eyes, she pursed her lips and continued. It didn't matter what Meer did, it never would. She could remember the concern in her sister's voice, and she couldn't help the ill clenching in her stomach.

When she found that Marianne's room had been cleaned, and all the pieces of jewelry picked up and placed back on the vanity table or in the various boxes, Lacus pretended not to notice. She crawled on her knees for almost an hour, searching for the piece that had to have been forgotten, lost beneath furniture or a corner of the room. When she found nothing, she didn't lapse into despair, and she certainly didn't curl up on her mother's bed and cry like a weak little child.

She didn't. _Honest_.

* * *

Shinn couldn't help the stinging burn in his face, and his hands shook as he shoved one in his pocket and ran the other through his hair, creating a mess of the unruly, inky tresses. His dark ruby eyes fell to the ground and he could feel his legs shaking. Fingernails dug into his scalp, and he raked down to begin kneading his neck and collar, scratching and clawing at the skin. Why…was…he…so…itchy…

Stellar rocked back on her feet, her one arm crossed over her chest, hand clutching her other arm. The fingers of her free hand were tugging the fabric of her skirt and she averted her gaze from Shinn, her friend, and a troubled aura hung around both their shoulders, weighing them down.

"Um…wh…uh…" the boy stammered, his hand rubbing his throat now, fingers inching dangerously closer to his face.

"I…sorry." The blonde said, shrugging helplessly.

"Can you…at least tell me…why?" Shinn barely managed to squeak out, his voice breaking and a dark color flushing his face. Stellar winced and bowed her head, not wanting to look at him, not wanting to embarrass him further by seeing him so vulnerable and weak.

The girl fidgeted with her skirt, staring at it, then the floor, then Shinn's shoes. She looked away, in case they were staring at the same thing. Her fuchsia gaze flickered towards his face again, and her chest leapt with ache for only a moment.

"I…I like someone else," she said, finally, sighing afterwards. "I'm really sorry."

The boy tensed, and his hand paused for only a second before his fingers resumed itching and rubbing the side of his neck. His shoulders slumped and he seemed to look as though trying to curl inwards like a slug sprinkled with salt. Despair and pain burned in his pores, and utter humiliation festered like millions of needles beneath his skin. He certainly felt like a dying slug, and being compared to one fittingly didn't help matters at all.

"Oh, okay…I…" he began to say, hating with all his heart the fact that now his eyes were stinging and his stupid voice was quivering. "I'm sorry for asking," he had to whisper before turning away, walking quickly in the direction that would take him furthest away from Stellar.

She made as though to follow him, calling out his name, and taking a few steps before his walk broke into a run, and the boy raced towards the boy's restroom. Stellar stared after him with wide, guilty eyes and trembling lips. Dropping her arm, she lifted both hands to her face, running her fingers through her bangs.

"_Shinn_…" she repeated quietly, stomping a foot in frustration. "_I'm sorry_…" she said, yet again, not caring that she was now several minutes late to class.

When she finally reached the classroom, the teacher gave her a perplexed look, wondering as though how one of the brightest students managed to be late, and looking troubled when Stellar explained that no, she had no excuse or note. Going to her desk, the blonde froze and avoided looking at Cagalli when the teacher asked if Shinn was with her.

"He was going to the bathroom, I think," she merely said.

* * *

"Oh my God…" the girl gasped, her hands covering her mouth, fake fingernails perfectly shaped and glossy.

The other girl shook and rubbed her wet eyes, face red and makeup a mess. Her friend reached out and wrapped arms around her shoulders, holding her uncertainly as a new wave of sobs passed over, echoing in the otherwise empty bathroom.

"Do you…know who it was?" she asked.

"No!" the crying girl wailed, pressing her face against the other's shirt.

"How were they even able…"

"I don't know!" she shrieked, wiping her running nose with her hand and audibly groaning.

"…I'm so sorry, hun…Have you talked to the counselor or your parents? The police?" her friend asked, gently running a hand through her hair.

"I…can't…"

"Why not!"

"I don't remember anything, I just…know…no one will believe me!" she cried, shaking violently as she doubled over coughing.

"I _do_! And we're going to a clinic right after school, okay?" the other girl demanded, kneeling down to touch her friend's face.

"But I have lacrosse practice…" the other said meekly.

"You're missing it, now come with me, we're skipping the rest of gym and going to the nurse's to sleep."

The two girls rose and the crying girl splashed cold water on her face before they both left the restroom, hand in hand. In the empty hallway, they started towards the clinic, but were stopped when a dark haired girl turned the corner, around her arm was a white badge. She stopped them for a moment, about to ask if they had a pass, but seeing the one girl's red eyes, shook her head and told them to hurry up to wherever they were going.

"I should have gone with you last night, I'm so sorry," the girl with fake nails whispered, drawing her friend close as they walked.

The Head Chair of the DC watched the two girls with narrowed eyes, and turned away, having work to do.

* * *

Her page of notes was ruined, Cagalli didn't need to spend too much time dwelling on it to realize it. Initially, she'd started to take her notes at the beginning of class, but then it escalated into a wild fit of her pen to begin swooping. Looping and curving, till the page began to become covered in infinity symbols. She made small ones, large ones, thin ones, thick ones. They just continued flowing from her pen till the ink had nearly devoured the white empty space of her page, two or three lines of notes practically being swallowed up whole.

The paper burned in her pocket, and the blonde girl felt too warm. Shrugging off her jacket, she returned to her pointless doodles, and Stellar watched her concernedly. Shinn hadn't said a word to her since he showed up late to a class, and Cagalli wasn't speaking either, so it mattered little. Ahmed was stewing on the other side of the room, leaving Stellar dejected and craving communication.

"…and, class, there are infinite possibilities…"

Golden eyes widened and Cagalli's breath caught in her throat. Her fingers clutched her pen tightly, and her chest panged with an ache unlike any pain she'd had before.

"_Kira, why can't you stay!" she begged, clutching his shirtsleeve in her small hands. The boy looked down at her with a troubled grin, and he reached over awkwardly to pat her head._

"_Come on, Cagalli…do you really have to get this upset?" he asked quietly, more to himself._

"_I don't want you to go! You have to stay here!" Cagalli urged, tugging on his sleeve again._

"_But Cagalli, my classes start soon," he said, exasperated and unsure of how to deal with the panicked eleven year old._

"_Cagalli, dear, Kira will be back with me in the afternoon to pick you and Nicol up," Romeena Amalfi reassured her, patting the girl's shoulder._

_Nicol stood a little ways off, not quite wanting to be involved with the whole embarrassing matter._

"_But Kira is going to be in a whole different school, what if he needs me?" the blonde girl demanded, looking up at her caretaker with wide, worried eyes._

"_Me…need you?" Kira wondered aloud, violet eyes wide. Cagalli ignored him, now glaring and stomped her foot._

"_I can't let anyone pick on my big brother; he'll be all alone if I don't go with him!"_

"_Cagalli, Kira's going to Junior High, you're still two grades behind him," the woman tried to reason._

"_So what?" the little spitfire said crossly, crossing her arms over her chest._

_Sighing, Kira dug a pen from out of his bag and reached for Cagalli's wrist. The girl stared at him like he'd grown a second head as he drew something on the back of her hand._

"_What is that?"_

"_It's an infinity symbol," Kira explained, quickly drawing one on his hand. "See how the circles meet, but I left them still a bit open? That one is you, this one is me. This means that no matter what, we'll still be together, because eventually around the circle, we'll both cross each other's line, and we'll be together then, okay?" he asked, smiling._

_Cagalli stared at it for a moment, and then pointed to the intersection. "You'll definitely come back?"_

"_Definitely."_

"Cagalli…Cagalli,"

The blonde girl blinked, sitting up straight and feeling out of breath, looking ahead like a deer caught in headlights. From in front of her, Stellar was staring at her, and the other blonde gestured to her eyes and mouthed "are you crying?" It'd been Stellar's worried whisper that broke her line of concentration.

Something warm and wet could be felt on Cagalli's cheek, and she quickly reached up to wipe it away, surprised to find that she was indeed crying. Looking away from her friend, Cagalli saw Shinn was looking at her as well, and his pencil looked ready to write her another note, but she just looked away from them both, rubbing her eyes till they hurt.

* * *

Miriallia and Kira stood in silence, the girl's lips drawn into a troubled frown and Kira's expression solemn and masked. It didn't help that the bustle around them was like an unfitting score to the seriousness of their situation.

"So Lacus is…sick again?" Mir questioned, feeling a weight slowly sinking from her heart.

"Yeah, I'll be bringing her homework to her after school," Kira replied, holding up a folder already stuffed with papers.

"I'll come with you, then. I can help her out, I'm good with sick kids," the auburn haired girl said with a shallow smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Y-you can't."

"Yes, I can." Mir stated. "I can even get a ride there; it won't be a problem for me."

"You can't."

Mir's eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms. "You're not letting me."

"I'm sorry, but she only asked me to deliver it to her," the brunet said, his gaze level with Mir's.

"When you get over yourself and realize how much of a bull shit answer that is, you'll know where to find me."

And with that, Miriallia turned on her heel and became the second person to do that to Kira that day. The boy stared after her, wanting to call her back, wanting to tell her everything he knew, but…he knew he couldn't do that to Lacus…or, could he? He could go to the police – tell them everything she'd told him…and she still had the marks, they could charge her mother with abuse at least…

Before his thoughts ran ahead of him, Kira stopped himself, his hand resting over his stomach.

"_It's like a big secret…you would know about those…wouldn't you?"_

Gritting his teeth, Kira refused to acknowledge that he knew he had no power to say anything. Since when did the police stand on his side, anyway? He'd been there twice, once when a hospital nurse had worried too much for the poor boy with a broken hand, the second time when an eighth grade gym teacher had meant well when he saw bruises on the poor boy that could barely stand for a game of volleyball. Both times Muruta Azrael had come out as the poor, Good Samaritan who took in two children and was barraged with claims of abuse that just couldn't be true, he was much too good of a man and everything was just a misunderstanding. Kira and Cagalli learned to stop talking to nurses after that, and Kira knew to wear track pants and long sleeves for gym, and always remembered to change in a bathroom or shower stall.

Why should the police believe him if he went crying out abuse for yet another child?

His fist slammed into the brick wall moments ago he was leaning against, his breathing heavy and labored, his hands shaking. A few students stopped to stare for a moment, but the bell cut their interest and they hurried to their classes, not wanting to be late.

Before Kira could be on his own way, a girl approached him, calling out for him to wait for her. Glancing at her, he recognized the other brunette from his Home Economics class. She smiled widely and ran up to him, holding something out in her hands.

"Kira, take these please! I finally got the recipe right, and have been giving them out to my friends. I had to work during my lunch period, but it was worth it," She explained as Kira took the small package wrapped in cutesy wrapping with little cats and flowers all over it. He smiled slightly, and was about to thank her when she handed him another bag. "That one is for Lacus, a bunch of us added cookies to it as a get well present," the girl explained.

"I hope she gets better soon, Kira, let her know that the Home Ec class misses her," the girl said, and then turned to hurry to her own class. Kira watched her, and stared down at the bags for a moment. But then the quiet of the hallways urged him to race to his next class before he was late.

He would deal with Miriallia later…and remembering the cold shoulder Cagalli had bared to him, he knew he'd have to deal with that later as well. The boy had to focus on the lessons so that he could give Lacus proper instructions when she did the homework herself.

* * *

It was…awkward.

Just standing there beside him, and not saying a word. Sure, Yzak was never the type to be real chit-chatty before, but at least then, they'd been friends on the same side. _Now_…

Dearka stuck his hands in his pockets, not caring that it was cold and he was wasting his time.

"So…how is your mom?" the blonde asked, but before the blue eyed boy could even begin to reply or react to the other, Dearka's violet gaze caught Miriallia in his line of sight and he was gone.

"Miriallia!" he called out, running down the school steps, racing towards her.

Mir paused, looking over her shoulder towards him, and her lips fell into a disinterested frown before she turned to resume walking. Dearka wasn't deterred, though, and continued his pursuit. Reaching her, he grabbed her arm, smiling.

"Hey, we didn't talk much today, huh?" he asked, ignoring her infuriated look.

"Because I have nothing to say to you," she hissed back.

"C'mon! I know you like me, Kitten. Do you need a ride home or something? I was thinking I could treat you…" before Dearka could try and wheedle the girl into accepting his offer, someone else was calling her name.

Looking up, the blonde saw a familiar looking guy dressed in a worn winter jacket and dark jeans walking over. Miriallia's expression brightened seeing him, and she jerked her arm away from Dearka.

"Tolle," Mir greeted casually, taking a few steps towards him. He lifted a hand in greeting and grinned.

Dearka found his stomach flipping violently. That scent…it was the same.

"Let's get coffee and doughnuts on the way home, I'm fucking starving," he said, laughing when Miriallia punched his arm.

"You're an unrefined beast," she snapped teasingly.

His tan lips trembled and his complexion turned ashen.

"What? It's not like I said they'd make you fat," Tolle quipped back, and the girl kicked him in the back of the leg, making him stumble towards his car that waited on the side of the street just outside the school gate.

Dearka was left standing alone, a confused expression on his face and his hand still raised, still thinking it could reach out and grab Miriallia's arm. He watched as the guy opened her door for her, making some joke that made her try and slap his head, and then he was getting into the driver's seat and starting up the vehicle.

Miriallia turned as she pulled on her seatbelt, and her eyes happened to lock with Dearka's gaze. Her smile fell a bit to a thoughtful frown, but then she tore her stare away to look back at Tolle, laughing at something he had said.

The blond boy watched as they drove off, his hand falling back to his side, confusion and jealousy blooming in his chest. Who was that? That girl who smiled and laughed and joked…who didn't look like the weight of the world was resting on her shoulders and her shoulders alone.

Dearka couldn't help the green stinging under his skin and impaling his heart. It wasn't fair…it totally wasn't fair. That person was able to see Miriallia like that, make her like that, and Dearka only ever had the cracked and broken version that was filled with harsh words and hateful glares.

Did it matter to the girl at all that he was trying? He'd read through a whole book just last night on leukocytes, and had started a chapter in another book about cancer cells. He helped her during class, he kept her from sleeping, and he got her to finish her quiz before it was too late.

And yet she had nothing but bitter tones for him, all sweetness for the guy with the old car and tattered jeans. Dearka remembered him, then. But, the time the two guys had spoken, that Tolle had had longer hair. He was the guy who had told Dearka in the first place that Mir's little sister was sick, the guy who in essence had gotten Mir to allow Dearka to embrace her that afternoon after the hospital back in Autumn. Without even trying, that guy had been miles ahead of Dearka in the race, and the blonde didn't recognize the feeling sinking down into his stomach.

"What do I have to do?" he asked himself out loud. He stumbled forward when someone shoved past him, and he looked up angrily to see a boy with platinum blonde hair walking away. "Wait…Yzak!" he cried out, remembering the moments before he saw Mir. But the other boy ignored him and continued walking towards the parking lot.

Dearka didn't even bother going after him, and stood back, slumping his shoulders uselessly.

"…what do I have to do?"

* * *

Cagalli waited for Kira to step out from the school, her fingers caressing her bracelet absently as her mind wandered. Ahmed had to stay after school for detention, and Stellar and Shinn had left immediately, both with pathetic excuses and refusals to look one another in the eye. Stellar had at least paused long enough to offer the other blonde girl her scarf back, but Cagalli declined. When asked if she was waiting for Kira, the golden eyed girl had nodded stiffly, and Stellar brightened.

"I'm glad he's okay and showed up for school," she'd chimed. "I knew there wasn't reason to worry about him, huh?"

Cagalli said nothing, keeping her arms crossed and her gaze on the concrete beneath her feet.

"Cagalli?" Stellar asked quietly, frowning worriedly.

It was then that Kira appeared, heading out from the building and hurrying down the stairs, a smile on his lips when he saw Cagalli waiting for him.

"Hey," he greeted warmly, nodding to Stellar who waved a hand enthusiastically and smiled brightly. Turning to Cagalli who refused to meet his gaze, Kira stood by her and his expression turned to an apologetic one.

"Listen, Cagalli, I'm really sorry about last night," he said, and wincing added "and this morning. It was my fault that I didn't call, and I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry so much." He said, reaching over to touch her shoulder. His sister didn't shrug him off, and her gaze even flickered over to him.

"Can you please forgive me?" Kira asked softly, leaning over so that they were more on level with one another.

The blonde girl looked away, but then back at her brother. Beginning to nod, the corners of her mouth were turning up in a grin. Kira's lips stretched into a thankful smile.

"How about we stop at some place to get take out for dinner? It'll be on the way after we take Lacus' homework to her," the boy suggested. But he was confused when Cagalli's mellowing expressing fell to one of distraught anger.

Without saying a word, Cagalli pushed her brother away and took off running. Kira and Stellar called after her, but she ignored both of them. She cried out in surprise when she bumped into someone by the school gate, and looked up through moist eyes to see the face of Athrun Zala staring down at her. Pushing away from him, she backed up a bit, glaring at him, and then she hiccupped, wiped the back of her hand over her eyes, and then took off again, running.

Kira had gone to chase after Cagalli, but was held back by Stellar who clutched his blazer sleeve. Looking back at her, distress all over his face, the older boy looked ready to yell at her. But the other blonde had a sad look and a flushed face and Kira just couldn't bring himself to be harsh with her.

"Stellar, why did you…"

"Kira, Cagalli has been acting differently, lately…" she began to say, her own voice taking on a shaky lilt. "And you…"

"Me?"

"You…you have been acting so strangely for weeks! You're getting hurt and lying and you're such an idiot!" the girl shouted, surprised that tears were actually beginning to fall down her face. "Y-you're…you're…" she stammered, covering her face with her hands.

"Stellar, what's wrong? What happened?" Kira asked, distressed himself and not wanting to deal with her accusations. He wrapped his long arms around her, drawing her in close. "You can tell me, what's wrong?" he asked again, softly, his hand brushing her hair like he would for Cagalli.

"I…" Stellar began to say, burying her face in his shirt. "I was rejected," she lied, wrapping her arms around the older boy.

"Oh," the brunet said softly, understanding falling over his face. "Come on, walk with me," he said quietly and gesturing to Lacus' homework envelope, leading her towards the gates.

Some minutes later, Stellar had calmed down and was walking with Kira, quietly telling him what had happened, or more what hadn't happened.

"and then he just told me that he liked someone else and walked away," Stellar explained, sniffling. Kira smiled softly towards her and pulled a small packet of tissues from his school bag, offering it to her. When she gave him a perplexed look, he laughed.

"Don't ask me why I carry them, just blow your nose," he urged. She smiled softly and did just that, wrapping the used tissue in a clean one and sticking it in her pocket. Without question, she reached over and took a hold of Kira's sleeve, walking closer to him, mentioning it was cold. He nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, his hand rubbing her arm helpfully.

"It seems to me that that boy just doesn't realize how special you are, Stellar," Kira said. "He's probably just not the right guy anyway, so this is just an obstacle you'll have to find a way over or around," he added encouragingly.

"How…How did you and Lacus start going out? Did she…ask you?" Stellar asked curiously, her voice small as she tried to walk closer to Kira.

"Well…uh…" the boy faltered, a small smile tugging on his lips. "Something like that…"

"You haven't said 'I love you' to one another yet, have you? I mean, it hasn't been that long…" Stellar asked, earning a curious grin from Kira.

"What's with all the questions?" but Stellar gave him a look, and he sighed. "You shouldn't be so worried about dating, you're still in middle school, enjoy it, would you?" the boy teased.

"But have you _said_ it!" Stellar demanded again, an odd seriousness to her look.

"No," Kira replied, saying nothing when the blonde girl sighed and a look of relief seemed to wash over her face.

"But I don't think words are as important as feelings," he added quietly, not faltering in his footsteps. "Everything comes in time, so it's not really like waiting to say something or guessing a right time. Besides, there are way too many levels of love to gauge which one will mean which thing when you tell it to someone."

"Huh? What do you mean?" the girl asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, I love Cagalli, and telling her so means something different than if I were to tell Lacus I loved her. And I love you, Stellar, but that's also different," he added, and the blonde flushed.

"R-really?" she asked, eyes wide. Kira nodded, chuckling.

"You've been my sister's best friend for a long time, and you've been my friend, too. Of course there's love," Kira explained, and the girl's smile faltered a bit.

"But…what about overall love?"

"Huh?"

"You say that there are different levels of love…so not everyone can be the same."

"Yeah, because it's different for each person," he began to say, but Stellar shook her head, frowning and stopping in her tracks.

"By that logic, someone is loved more than someone else, and there's one person loved more than everyone else." The girl exclaimed, her voice just a bit panicked.

Kira stared at her for a moment, surprise on his face. Stellar looked up at him, eyes watery. The boy frowned for a moment, and then smiled carefully, placing his hands on the girl's shoulders.

"You're looking at it too mathematically," he said gently. "The heart doesn't just pump air and blood. It has the capability to expand and fill itself with other people, and they're all important and loved, Stellar," Kira said, squeezing her shoulders.

"But what if someone doesn't want to have more people in it?" she asked sourly, and the boy sighed, regretting bringing up the idea in the first place.

"Stellar," he began to say, but froze when someone drove up alongside them in the road and stopped.

A man stepped out of the black car, not quite young, but not old either. Maybe a college student? He gestured over towards the two Kurenai Sakura students, and Kira stood, pushing Stellar behind him.

"Kira?" the man asked, and immediately the brunet felt on edge. Stellar stared with wide eyes, confusion displayed easily on her face.

"Kira, can I have a minute with you?" the man asked, walking over. The boy backed up a step, pushing Stellar gently.

"Sorry, I'm busy," Kira replied icily. The man stopped and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Kira Yamato? Please come with me, someone wants to speak with you." He said, and Kira froze.

No one had uttered that name in years, no one knew of the boy's past, the files were locked up tight in a closed adoption, even a court could have difficulty accessing them. Stellar looked up at the brunet, wondering what was going on.

"Kira, your last name is Azrael…Sir, you have the wrong Kira," the blonde girl called out, but both men ignored her comment.

"Kira Yamato, my employer wishes to speak with you, will you please come with me?" the man asked again, leaning against his car.

Stellar was ready to ask Kira if they could just get going, but he surprised her. Turning to her, Kira handed her the envelope filled with Lacus' homework and a wrapped bag.

"Please, take this to Lacus for me. Her address is right here," Kira requested, pulling a pen from his bag and scrawling out quick directions to the girl's house on the envelope. "I'm sorry I couldn't walk you home, Stellar. I promise to take you out again some other time, all right?" he said quickly, turning towards the man.

Stellar watched as Kira spoke a few quiet words to the man, and then just got into the passenger seat of the car. They took off, then, in the direction of the shopping sector, and the blonde just watched them go. Looking down at the envelope in her hands, she murmured quietly.

"Kira…Yamato?"

* * *

Cagalli sat against the front doors in the foyer, her back aching and her legs hurting from being pulled against her body tightly for so long. It was starting to get dark, but she didn't care. She wasn't leaving this spot till Kira came home.

She really wouldn't.

But…how could he be thinking about Lacus when she was so obviously hurting! Didn't he care at all! It wasn't fair!

"It's not fair!" she screamed as loudly as she could, slamming her head against the doors and listening as her voice echoed in the empty foyer. Hearing it coming back at her, she buried her face in her arms and screamed again, and she kept screaming till her throat was raw and sore.

Then the tears came, and soaked her sleeves, and her tie had to be loosened because she couldn't breathe.

Kira had to come home this time. He had to.

* * *

The house was much more than Stellar expected, and even though it was winter and the trees and flowers on the property were dormant or dead, she could just imagine how lovely it looked in the summer months. She was almost too intimidated to open the tall wrought iron gate to enter, and even then she took care to be quiet as possible as she tiptoed up the stonework path towards the front doors.

Tall windows were placed all around the mansion and through them thick and surely elaborate curtains could be seen hanging. Possibly, the place was dotted with all sorts of expensive furniture suiting the tastes of a princess, since Stellar had difficulty believing the pale girl with long pink hair was anything but.

Hand shaking from more than just the cold, the girl reached out to press the doorbell, and nearly jumped at the hollow sound it made as it rung through the house. Clutching the homework envelope and shivering, Stellar waited outside the doors, staring at them, then her shoes, then the doors again.

How would Lacus answer the door? Would she be smiling and kind, like a sweet princess? Or like an evil, wicked queen? Maybe she was only nice around Kira? Maybe she didn't even like Kira? Maybe Stellar had to save Kira from her?

All this panic and deliberation took place in a matter of seconds, and the blonde girl couldn't help the turmoil threatening to make her stomach sick.

"_And I love you, Stellar."_

Dropping the homework envelope and bag, Stellar turned and leapt down the few steps from the front door to the walkway, her shoes pounded against the stone as she ran. She slipped between there and the fence, but hearing the doors opening, she hissed through the pain of scraped palms and pulled open the gate, throwing herself towards the sidewalk and not stopping till she was several streets away.

When she finally got home, it didn't take her long to find Neo in the shed in the backyard, hammering something with a welding torch in arm's reach and the radio playing something loud. She didn't bother asking what had made him angry, and merely retreated quietly back to the house to the kitchen. On the counter, among the usual spam, coupons, advertisements, and the various mailings Neo received, Stellar noticed two postcards. Reaching for them desperately, she picked them up and flipped them over to read the backs, uncaring that her hands were aching and sore.

Her excitement was wasted, however, and each one only had a few words scribbled on them, barely legible. 'Eat well' and 'Don't forget to study' were the only words either of her parents had bothered to send her. Dropping the cards back on the counter, Stellar collapsed onto a stool, glaring at them through watery eyes. One had a picture of a tropical garden with a view of the beach, the other was some ancient cathedral in Italy. It didn't matter which parent sent which, the result was the same. They didn't care, they were too busy, and there was never a return address.

Five months since the last post card from her mother, seven for her father, and all they could say didn't even amount to ten words put together. The sound of hammering continued, getting louder than the radio. Stellar hoped the neighbors came to complain, wished that they would. But she knew they wouldn't, even they knew what it meant. They knew that nothing could fix matters, either, and so they would ride out these long evenings of cacophonous noise with a cup of tea or football game, giving the brother and sister their space and their noise for the one day every blue moon that their parents remembered they existed.

* * *

"Shinn, honey, please come down for dinner?" he heard his mother ask from outside his door.

He ignored her again, turning to face the wall. His comforter was pulled up over him, but he pulled it away from his face to stare at the posters on his walls. The one closest was of his favorite car, an Impulse, and it was a sleek vehicle that had fascinated him since he saw it in a movie last year. He wanted to get one when he got his license, and then he'd drive far, far away.

Turning again so that he was on his stomach and could cover his head with his pillow when his mother knocked again, the dark haired boy pulled his cell phone out when it buzzed. Flipping it open, he read the small message his sister had sent, and quickly texted her back.

Eventually his mother left, and Shinn retreated from under the blankets. It was getting too small and warm, anyhow. Mayu had had some sort of play at school today about mitosis, and Shinn couldn't help laughing. He didn't even remember what that was.

He relaxed out on his bed, and asked Mayu what she had for dinner. She replied back that Dad had been working late so she ordered pizza. Shinn frowned, but told her he was jealous anyway. Her being left home alone was nothing new, but it still bothered him. His mother constantly yelled at their father about it, but that never changed anything.

When the phone rang, Shinn nearly jumped out of his skin. Pressing the button, he answered it quickly.

"What!"

"You weren't replying to my messages, so I called," Mayu's voice said with a giggle.

"Oh, sorry. What were you asking?"

"I was wondering if you'd asked Stellar out. You said the other day that you were really going to do it."

"Oh…that…"

"What did she say! Tell me, tell me, tell me, big bro!" the younger girl chimed in a sing-song voice.

"She…she said yes! Of course she said that, she totally likes me," Shinn laughed, voice cracking and eyes stinging.

Mayu was silent on the other end for awhile.

"I'm sorry, Shinn. I'm really sorry."

Shinn drew his legs up to his chest and bit his lip, hating that he was crying. Guys didn't cry over stuff like this, tough guys just got over it! He was tough, he was strong, he wasn't going to let this bother him.

"She said she likes, someone, else!" he whined between hiccups, miserably clawing his hair and scratching his neck again. "I'm so pathetic!" he roared in self-loathing, wanting to chuck the phone across the room, but clutching it till his knuckles turned white instead.

"I'm sorry, Shinn," Mayu repeated.

From outside the room, Shinn's mother sat against the door, a worried expression on her face as she twisted her ring on her left hand with the fingers of her right.

* * *

Lacus carried the new homework packet and bag up to her room, still a bit confused as to why Cagalli's friend had delivered it instead of Kira. In a way, the girl was almost a little glad that Kira hadn't been there, she didn't want her walls to come crumbling down again and fall into his arms like some pathetic tendril with no trellis. She was stronger than that, she knew, but with Kira, she just didn't want to be strong.

When she'd awoken earlier that afternoon, she'd searched for the packet from yesterday, finding it in the hallway outside her room. Curious, she guessed Kira must have dropped it there on accident the day before. Either way, she'd breezed through the problems, not quite paying attention to them and probably getting plenty of them wrong.

With another packet, she settled up in her room with a plate of food she'd barely prepared downstairs and set to work. One problem gets one bite of the Sheppard's pie that she'd found leftovers of in the fridge and one of the cookies after every few problems. It was a good process, and lasted long enough to distract her mind with equations and dates and scientific processes.

But it only worked for so long before she grew tired of the monotony. She was restless and frustrated and on edge, her nails wanted to dig into her arm, reawaken a pain she'd tried to silence and suffocate. Even taking the ring of and putting it back on proved useless. Deciding that some sitcom on television could draw her from the dark thoughts creeping up from the corners of her mind, the girl stood from her bed and headed downstairs. She might as well watch TV on the larger screen in the house. Maybe she could even go all out and complete the stereotype of eating a carton of ice cream. Honestly, Lacus wasn't fully opposed to the idea.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Lacus was surprised to hear that the TV was already turned on. Gazing frightfully towards the living room, she couldn't help the morbid fascination drawing her closer, despite her entire body screaming to go away, back up the stairs, out the front door, just…SOMETHING!

The living room was dark, only lit by the glow of the television. Sitting in one of the large, overly stuffed chairs was Meer, one of the wine bottles from the cellar nursed in her hand. Lacus' feet finally stopped moving at the edge of the room where carpet met hardwood. Pale eyes glanced over her sister's form, and Lacus' lips twitched in disgust.

"You don't drink wine." She said, more accused.

Meer shifted at the noise, lifting a hand to run through her bangs, and she looked down at the wine bottle as though to make sure it really was wine.

"It's disgusting," the older girl said, nodding.

Lacus was fully prepared to turn around and not come back down the stairs for the entire night, but Meer stopped her with only her words for once.

"You hate me."

"That's not obvious?" the pink haired girl hissed back.

"Of course you hate me…why wouldn't you hate me?" Meer mused, a slight giggle to her words, but a frightening tone underneath of agony. "Even after everything I've done…" she said aloud quietly, staring at the ceiling.

"There is nothing I have to say to you," Lacus said, turning away.

"Don't…don't go…" Meer called weakly after her. Surprisingly, it had the effect of a hand grabbing the retreating girl's arm. Lacus stayed.

"I don't hate you…I…really don't. Even after _that_, I don't hate you, Lacus," Meer drawled, struggling to sit up properly in the too comfortable chair.

Lacus glanced suspiciously over her shoulder, and watched as Meer leaned over to turn on a lamp. But when light flooded the room, the bruised girl gasped aloud and her eyes widened in disbelief. Her hands shook and she clenched them into fists as she stared at her sister.

Meer matched her stare, her own copper gaze level, if not a bit watery yet focused. Nothing like her usual fit of inebriation.

"_What…did you do?"_ Lacus whispered, her voice shaking as she stepped back.

* * *

Kira followed the man out of the car after he took care to park on the end and have an easy retreat back onto the road. The shopping sector was decorated for the holiday already, and the shops had ribbons and lights up, and various colored lights were dangled from wires and lines of ribbon were cast about all over the place. The large fountain in the very center of the outlet had been cut off and the water allowed to freeze so that a makeshift ice-skating rink could be made, and plenty of people were out that evening shopping or out on a date.

Nonetheless, Kira just took it as plenty of people to mean that public escape would be easy enough if someone were to scream. Following the man towards a café Kira recognized, he eyed the other when they entered. The hostess looked up, recognized the man it seemed, and smiled, nodding to him. Kicking snow off his shoes, the man nudged Kira, telling him to do the same.

"It's rude to track it in," the man explained with a shake of his head. He was treating this whole thing casually, even attempting to make small talk during the drive over.

"This way," he said, gesturing for the high school student to follow him. Kira didn't have much choice, and was lead into the seating area were a few patrons were enjoying coffee or cake. The man walked over towards a well-dressed woman sitting by herself in a booth by the tall window wall of the café where she watched people skating outside. When the man reached her, she looked up at him with a pleasant smile, and her golden gaze flashed towards Kira.

The boy stopped in his tracks when their eyes met, and he found his breathing catching in his throat. Narrowing his eyes, he drew forward cautiously when the man waved him over, and the woman continued smiling too sweetly at him. Her hands were clasped in front her, a cup of coffee still steaming on the table, and a dollop of whipped cream floating in the center.

"Please sit down, Kira," she said pleasantly, lifting a hand to brush through her hair. It was a soft auburn color, and it didn't look like a color job, but the woman looked surprisingly young for Kira's guess as to her real age. Mid thirties at least, possibly early forties…and then he realized what was the deal. She was a coordinator.

She nodded to him when he complied, and she turned to the other man. "Alaire, please go get something for Kira. You know which one he likes," the woman said cheerfully, unperturbed by the look Kira gave her. The man merely nodded and turned to go place an order.

"He's such a good man, I'm glad I came across him when I did," the woman said to Kira casually, stirring her coffee. "Oh, Kira, you used to love this," the woman noted, taking a spoonful of the whipped cream that had been soaking in the coffee and slipping it into her mouth daintily.

The boy stared warily at the woman, but a flash of memory passed behind his eyes of sitting on his father's knee at the kitchen table, sticking his fingers into his father's coffee which he always took with a dollop of whipped cream. It drove his father into fits of laughter and his mother would laugh and wipe his sticky hand after he ate the cream off of his fingers and palm.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice low and cold. The woman's eyes widened, and she put down her spoon, her expression falling from joyful to thoughtfully sad. Reaching her hands across the table, the woman meant to take Kira's hands into hers, but the boy wouldn't let her touch him and drew back his hands.

"Kira…" she said softly, a smile breaking out over her lips and her eyes watering. It was then that the boy saw past the superficial appearance and could see the heavy sadness weighing behind her eyes. "I'm your mother."

_Lonely people tumble downwards  
My heart opens up to you  
She Has No Time - Keane_

_

* * *

_

**A/N:** Lots of conflict, no? Well, I'm going to keep this short and sweet so I don't lose my creative juices and will continue on right now with the next chapter…so that I'll have it…and it might come out earlier or something…maybe, you can't trust me after all. I hope you enjoyed this one, please review, if not for no more chapters but just this one because I REALLY like this chapter and want to know all your thoughts PUH-LEEESE with sugar on top! (And of course reviewing

Oh, and more shameless advertising. I've remembered I had a livejournal and found it amusing to rant in it and put up non-fanfiction related writing…and I'll have pictures there of my art and stuff eventually, so you can check it out, there's a link in my profile. You can read amusingly stupid rantings, and maybe get an idea as to when the next update for fanfictions will come up depending on my depressed mood levels. It's a win-win.

Remember to fulfill this sad little person's wishes and review!

Lovingly yours,  
Sam


	21. Better is No Excuse For Tonight

**Chapter 21 Better is No Excuse For Tonight**

**_A/N_**: Important author's note at the bottom~ (Nothing alarmingly bad, but good) Enjoy the read and please read the A/N if you have the time.

* * *

_The glare of the television echoed off their faces, and Kira quietly turned a page in his book with a bandaged hand. Cagalli stared at the program playing, her mouth a frown and her eyes dark. Something humorous happened on the screen, but the little girl made no move to laugh._

_Kira glanced over the top of his book at her, and his brows knit together in thought. He absently scratched his face, poked the large band-aid on his cheek._

_The blonde little girl turned the channel to something else, the news maybe, and sunk further back into the couch, a miserable expression on her face._

"_Turn it back, there was a funny show coming up next I think," Kira mentioned, ever the helpful older brother…_

"_So?" the girl snapped._

"_You should smile more," the fourteen year old suggested, but Cagalli would have none of it._

"_That's stupid, I won't die if I don't smile."_

"_I might."_

_Cagalli's eyes flashed wide open then and she whipped her head around to stare at her brother. Noticing her expression, Kira marked his place in the book with his finger, and looked up at her, smiling awkwardly._

"_What do you mean?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper._

"_I like to see you smile, when you don't, I get sad. My heart could break, you know people can die of broken hearts," the boy explained with a sad shrug. "I'd really hate to die, I wouldn't get to finish my book…"_

"_You're an idiot." she replied, but complied by changing the channel back. Kira smiled behind his book and glanced at the TV screen._

_On screen, the new show had just started, and a woman was baking something, and kids ran in crying out about cookies excitedly. Cagalli stared thoughtfully at it, and then smiled, slightly._

"_Remember Miss Romeena's cookies? She let me and Nicol get the biggest ones before you every time…" Kira laughed and nodded._

"_You wouldn't remember well, but Mom made great cookies with cake mix, those were the best," the young boy said, his voice drifting off as he recalled the memory. Cagalli watched him, and looked back to the television. The kids were eating cookies in the show._

"_Can you tell me more stories about Mom?"_

"_Huh? Oh yeah, sure, anytime."_

"_Like now?" Both children froze when the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway made it to their ears._

"_Um…maybe some other time…" Kira stammered, unable to look at his sister when the front door opened and familiar footsteps sounded in the foyer._

* * *

The corners of his mouth twitched, his throat felt dry, his stomach cold. Fingers trembling, hands shaking, legs numbing, the young man's gaze narrowed into an intense glare. The ferocity made the woman blanch, and she widened her eyes, making a small sound when Kira slammed the table as he stood.

"I don't know what joke you're playing," he whispered, voice dark and low, "but I'm not laughing."

Stepping out from the booth, Kira ducked his head as he headed back towards the door. He tensed when the man approached to step in front of him. The woman also stood from the table, rushing over as though about to panic. She reached out to grasp Kira's arm, her delicate hands gripping him tightly.

"Kira! Please don't leave right now, please, just let me…" she began to say, but an icy violet glare froze her voice.

"My mother is dead. Who are you to disgrace her name?" he uttered bitterly, jerking his arm from her violently. Pushing past the man, he rushed out of the café, only wanting to go home.

This was ridiculous, that woman was out of her mind, and Kira wasn't going to sit around and let some delusional quack speak in such a manner to him. Cagalli had to be worried sick…

And just as Kira thought he was a safe distance to slow down, he heard the crunch of snow behind him. Turning, he saw the woman running after him awkwardly, her shoes not meant for anything but looking pretty. She stumbled calling after him, and when she fell, Kira stood where he was.

"Kira! My name is Via Hibiki! I _am_ your mother!" she cried after him, desperation lacing her words as tears fell down her cheeks.

Sneering at her, Kira looked away, and meant to continue walking. The man was hurrying out of the café now.

"Don't you remember me, Kira? At all?" Via asked, standing on trembling legs. "You were so small…don't you remember Auntie Via? We played soccer on your birthday?" she asked, voice broken by hiccups.

Kira stood silently, and then began walking again, slowly at first…and then he broke out into a full run, wanting to get away from her as fast as he could.

From the window of a nearby restaurant, a dark haired woman watched the strange scene unfold with curious brown eyes. The blonde man sitting across from her tapped her hand when their waitress arrived, and she tore her gaze away.

* * *

"Pizza's getting cold," Neo murmured, voice hoarse.

"Yeah…" Stellar agreed, lifting a slice to bite into it anyways.

There was a heavy silence between them as Stellar chewed. Both siblings stared wearily at the two incriminating sheets of paper still sitting on the counter.

The glossy picture of a beach that promised fun in the sun was especially infuriating to one blonde artist, and before Stellar could stop him, Neo had ripped open one of the kitchen drawers, taking out a long lighter. Swiping the postcards off the island, the tall man strode over to the sink and with the lighter he lit the corner of the beach card.

Stellar shrieked and jumped from her stool, running into Neo's back.

Trying to reach around him for the cards, she cried out in a panic when the flame spread and slowly melted the vibrant tropics into a singed black and slowly was eaten away. The flames licked Neo's fingertips, and he dropped it into the sink to finish burning.

"Thanks a lot, Dad," he spat.

He went to light the second one, muttering something about their mother, but Stellar screamed and hit him as hard as she could, surprising him enough so that she could reach for the burning card. Grabbing it, she ripped it away from him and brought it close, trying to blow out the flame.

Neo glared at her, and when the flames licked her own fingertips, she cried out from the pain and dropped the card to the tile floor. Sinking to her knees, she reached for the picture again, frantically quenching the flames with her fingers. When she was done, there wasn't much of a card left, picture or message or anything.

Her brother sunk down to her level and reached for her hands, staring at them wide-eyed as he looked them over with concern.

"Stellar! That was so stupid…What do you think you were doing?"

"What were _you_ doing!" she screamed at him, face red and eyes full of tears from pain.

"I…They're worthless cards, Stellar! They're nothing to us! Do you think they even cared when they sent them?" the blonde man asked viciously, holding his sister's hands in his larger ones.

"They're not worthless!" she roared back, ripping her hands away and clutching the charred postcard to her chest.

"We don't need their cards and…We don't need them!" he hissed, and Stellar shook her head violently.

"Yes we do!" she sobbed, crying out in anguish and frustration. She really couldn't make out any remaining trace of her mother's sloppy cursive on the back of the card anymore…except for a single loop of a letter.

"They have to love us, even a little bit, right! The cards…She has to love us, even if it's not as much…" Stellar choked out between sobs, shivering. She leant against her brother when he embraced her tightly, holding her face against his shoulder.

"Stellar…"

"We're not worthless…" she whispered.

Neo rocked with her, rubbing her back. "No, we're not…"

The pizza was cold hours ago, they hadn't cared. It was getting colder. It didn't matter.

* * *

This…situation…was new to her.

The…sting…was new to her.

The…pain…was new to her.

The TV was still on, it was the news. She hadn't wanted to watch anything else, she hadn't wanted to watch anything…But Kira was late again and she didn't want to sit staring out the window as though he'd suddenly appear out of thin air.

Something about something or other was going on, murders in the city, theft in the mall, government matters…None of it matter, she didn't care, honestly. But then the story switched to something else.

"_Recently, gang activity has been increasing with a dangerous exponent in the Shoal County and surrounding areas. Many teenagers and young adults in their twenties have been brought to local hospitals for severe and fatal injuries and assaults. Doctors have discovered a connection of a drug in many of their systems that is unidentifiable at this point._

_Traces of this drug have also been discovered in the systems of recent rape victims. It would seem it is circulating quickly, and we wish to warn everyone of the danger lurking on the streets, especially women alone at night. The drug is especially potent against Coordinators. A terrorist racial crime? A bio-weapon? More at the eleven o'clock news…"_

Cagalli stared curiously at the television, still perturbed at how impartial newscasters had to be when delivering news. Murder, assault, rape…and all spoken with a straight face as though the woman were reading the ingredients on a cereal box label.

The girl remembered why she disliked watching the news. She'd meant to turn it off, but the sound of the garage opening surprised her. Kira…had a key. They didn't use the garage…

Looking back over her shoulder, the blonde girl stared with wide eyes as the interior door opened and closed, and footsteps echoed in the small hallway.

Muruta stepped into the living room, eyes narrow and appearing pristine and kept as ever. Never a hair out of place with the guy…and Cagalli found herself rooted to the floor when he turned that critical gaze on her.

"Where…is your brother?" the man asked lowly.

Cagalli stared at him, and quickly saw he was becoming impatient. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and was about to say delivering another student's homework…but she stopped herself. For a split second, her mind conceived an idea…

An idea so deliciously twisted and wicked, she felt as though her lips could have curled into a demonic grin like that of the Cheshire cat.

"I don't know. He didn't come home last night, either." she said with such finality, she almost mistook her own tone as…pride? Satisfaction? What?

A furious look began to burn in Muruta's eyes and he lifted a pale brow ever so little.

"Oh?"

Cagalli stared at him, and their gazes locked until the girl had to look away.

Muruta stepped into the kitchen, and the blonde heard his shoe heels on the tile, clicking and clacking with each step as he searched for something…maybe dinner, maybe a beer…and with a shock of horror, Cagalli gasped. A cold trickle of ice slipped down her system deep into her stomach, and then deeper and deeper until she couldn't feel any more warmth.

Maybe a knife.

Maybe…maybe…maybe…

Maybe he was going to carve her brother's back open again, maybe he was going to…going to…

And with a wrenching pain in her chest, Cagalli doubled over, clutching herself as she silently dry heaved right over the living room carpet. She'd just given Muruta all the incentive…no, more than enough reason to want to hurt Kira…she'd just…she'd just…

A tiny cry of pain slipped past her lips and she shot to her feet when she felt eyes on the back of her head. Shooting up to stand, the girl swallowed around trembling lips and tried to still her erratically beating heart that had rushed to her throat.

"When do you think he will be home?" she heard Muruta ask.

"…me…" she whispered.

Muruta asked her what she'd said, his voice was closer, frighteningly closer. When had he started coming over! Why didn't she hear him? What was that sound? Was that her breathing? Was she…where was…what time was it…

"Don't touch him!" Cagalli screeched, turning to glare into Muruta's surprised face.

"What are you saying…" he began to ask, and Cagalli threw her fist at the same face she glared at.

Before she knew it, a hand had come to her own face, the force of the hit staggering her and sending her into a sudden shock that made her crumble to the floor. Her fingers felt her burning cheek. The sting…the pain…it was nothing. Nothing compared to what he had felt…what she had somehow placed upon him just now…

"You're pathetic!" she cried, leering at the blonde man with hatred in her eyes.

The lock…it echoed through the house like a bell. One of the two entrance doors opened and closed, the familiar footsteps of her brother clicked in the foyer and Cagalli's golden gaze flickered towards the sound for only a moment…and then the strange sensation of Muruta's foot digging into her soft stomach sent her seeing stars and down to the floor. Looking up, she saw Kira's horrified expression from across the room, and felt Muruta's heel crashing into her hip.

"Where did that mouth come from, Cagalli!" Muruta demanded, a sick look of amusement crossing his face.

Kira threw his bag down and rushed towards them, meaning to slam into Muruta. But the man pulled back his fist and rammed it against the boy's chest, following the swooping boy with an elbow to his back, crushing him to his knees and the carpet, stunned. Cagalli leapt up and threw herself between the two, chucking her own fist against Muruta's jaw, and then grabbing onto Muruta's arm and biting down through his sleeve.

Flung against the wall, the girl slumped to the ground, but still struggled to stand again. Muruta grinned at her and wiped his mouth, a small drop of blood flowing from his lips where the inside of his cheek had been mashed against his teeth.

"Such insolent brats…you never know when to give up, do you? Or at least, your brother usually does…" the man mused, kicking at the boy's side, making him cringe. Cagalli's face distorted into an angered twist, and she roared as she flew at the man again. But a fist met her face, just above her eye, and a sharp pain slammed into her ribs and sent her to the ground.

Muruta made a disappointed sound when neither of them made another move to get up, and left them where they were.

It took a moment, but the two siblings finally found the will and strength to pull themselves up. Cagalli shirked away when Kira tried to help her, and jerked away when his fingertips just barely grazed her arm. There had been tension between them before, but this…

The tension growing between them had increased tenfold, the clouds on their horizons darkening as with the bruise over Cagalli's eye. Seeing her like this, seeing the anger swelling in her eyes and the hatred nearly dripping from her lips, Kira couldn't help the pain stretching his insides.

This girl, this Cagalli, was not the little girl who held onto his sleeve because she was afraid; this wasn't the little girl who'd held his hand to try and keep them both from crying…and Kira was beginning to feel the guilt of helplessly allowing that monster to touch her, when she'd so willingly thrown herself at him.

The pain wasn't lessening, over his body, and in his heart. It was like fire burning away at his core, and he blinked back…something…Were they tears? Maybe…he didn't really know.

"I just wanted to let you know…that I don't think you should blame yourself for me." Cagalli murmured, eyes heavy and solemn. "It was selfish, you know," she added, a hopeless smile on her lips as though holding back the anger and the tears at the same time.

"For me to hide myself away, try and distance it all from me, and my other self. You're to blame for not knowing your limits, Kira…but that's all." she added in a whisper, bowing her head, and shamefully lifting a hand to wipe at her face.

"Cagalli," Kira began, reaching for her. She slapped his hand away, leering at him through narrowed gold eyes.

"You're not the only one with bruises, now." she murmured, pulling herself shakily up to her feet. "I'm going to bed…" she added quietly, leaving her brother alone in the living room, not wanting to see his face, not wanting him to see hers.

She paused only a moment in the hallway to wipe at her eyes, gritting her teeth when the wetness wouldn't go away.

* * *

It was dark, it was a little cold, and the window was just there. Staring at her, watching her watch it.

Eerie, creepy, ridiculous…it was nothing. She wanted to ignore it, really. Just like she ignored the hair that collected so easily in her hairbrush, or the constant emptiness aching in her stomach that refused to take food willingly. But the window…she couldn't ignore that. It was as obvious as her sister's empty bed, but Katie didn't blame her.

Scratching Amber's soft head, the small girl pulled herself up, rubbing her knees and shivering. It didn't matter how many blankets she had, or how thick her pajamas were, she was freezing, _always_. Gathering up the large cat in her small arms, Katie shuffled her way towards the bedroom door, but paused, glancing back to her sister's bed.

"Hey…Ray?" Katie asked, finding the man in the living room. He was watching a game or something, but he got up the moment he heard the girl.

"Katie, what are you doing awake?" he asked quietly, striding over to her.

"I…I wanted something to drink. Something warm," she said with a shrug of her tiny shoulders that was made all the more awkward with a large cat in her twig-like arms.

Ray smiled and sighed, leading her to the kitchen. Katie jumped onto a stool and settled the orange cat on her lap, staring at Ray as he went about making tea…or at least he thought that was what he was doing. The man guessed making coffee was pretty similar, anyway.

"Don't forget a lot of sugar, it's gross otherwise." Katie said with a grin.

Ray chuckled and dug through a cupboard for the sugar bowl. "You're going to get cavities, kid."

Katie smiled and cooed at the cat and stroked her velvety ears lovingly.

"What do I care? I'm dying." she said, laughing at her own joke. Ray dropped the bowl and a sharp crack sounded in the kitchen. Sugar spilled over the counter and floor, broken porcelain teetered on the tile.

"…I'm not cleaning that up," Katie said after a moment, eying the man with a look he didn't care to see.

"Katie…" he began, but stopped, looking over to the girl with moist eyes. He blinked and the look was gone. "You…don't say things like that," he struggled to say, picking up the broken bowl gingerly. He didn't know what to do about the sugar.

The girl frowned and looked away.

"Milly says that, too." she whispered, and Ray paused.

"She…"

"She's scared." Katie admitted, shifting in her seat. She laughed bitterly. "I'm the one who's going in the ground and she thinks she can be scared?" Her voice wavered, and she brought her hands up to her face.

"Katie, we're all scared," Ray said, walking around the counter to bring his arms around the child, "You…"

"But what about me! I'm supposed to be okay with this? I'm supposed to believe I'll be fine? Am I supposed to comfort everyone and tell them it's alright? I'm scared, I want to just quit and be done with it," Katie hissed, digging her nails into the skin of her face until it hurt.

"I'm sorry," Ray murmured after a moment, his voice weak. Katie leant against his embrace and one hand fell to find Amber's fur.

"That doesn't fix anything."

Sounds of cheering came from the television in the other room. A goal or a win or something. The fans were celebrating.

* * *

His hands were hot and she felt them all over her body. The contact of skin sent her far away, her mind only knew his touch and his name and it was bliss.

The most ignorant bliss.

She felt his fingers splayed over her stomach and the rhythmic tapping was sending an echo through her ears to her brain. She gasped and reached for his arms, her fingers found fabric. He was still wearing his shirt.

A tug here, a garbled message of words there, and his shirt joined the rest of their clothes on the floor. His room was a mess…

His lips brushed her throat, and his chest met hers and the feeling was…

She wrapped a leg around his hip, her thigh brushing his skin in such a way that he groaned from the feel of it. His arms encircled her and he lowered himself slowly, resting his cheek over her shoulder. A hand continued the maddening tapping against her waist and she writhed while his lips kissed her breast.

He began humming and she let out a soundless, breathless cry. He was driving her insane.

Thick curls brushed against her palms as her trembling hands sifted through his hair. He was doing something…she didn't know what he was doing. It was amazing, it felt so odd, so…so…

"Oh God," she breathed sharply, tightening her hold on his hair.

"Not him, _me_," he spoke up with a teasing tone, and she barely broke free of her insanity long enough to tug his hair sharply in retaliation.

"No…talking," she gasped and he didn't need to be told twice.

As though reading her mind, his hand stroked her leg, from her knee to her hip, and his fingers slipped down over her thigh and the tapping resumed. She shook her head, her hair sticking to her face and fanning over the pillow. She hated this song, whatever it was, she didn't honestly know. But she hated it with every fiber she had for solid thought and that hatred burned with a passion down to her core.

His hair…she had to be hurting him, but it didn't matter because she wasn't there anymore and she only saw white.

She'd…called his name…maybe…or something…and not that she could be sure, but she swore she was mumbling his name now.

"Tolle…Tolle…Tolle…" she whispered, voice quivering and eyes closed. She couldn't see anything anyway.

His arms encircled her waist and he buried his face against her ribs. She could feel his lips.

This…whatever this was…his irritating grin and his curly hair and the complete erasure of worries had sent her to Nirvana, and it was only getting better.

He kissed her skin, and his tongue dipped out to lick and lap at her navel. Lower and lower…

She cried out, breathless, and his hand gripped her leg tightly, kept her from hitting him. His other hand stroked her thigh, petting the junction of muscle and skin along the innermost lining of her leg, and then…the fucking tapping.

Her fingers dug into his scalp, pulling, tugging, scratching, and he took it all in stride.

Tolle began humming, and Miriallia shook and shivered and gasped as though it were all she was meant to ever do. It was such a wonderful feeling, a release, an escape. Her lips parted and she gave out a cry, and then she screamed when she felt the slightest brush of teeth against her.

An ever-present tapping kept her sane in the world, but her mind had wandered away to a quiet place absent of lucidity. Tolle was kissing her thighs, and her hips, and soon enough he was kissing her cheek, slipping an arm underneath her shoulders. Drawing her closer, he pressed his lips to her hair and she sighed, blinking the clouds away from her vision.

"You're…incorrigible…" she breathed, smiling.

"Uh-oh, you're still using big words, I don't think I rocked your world just right," the man teased, poking her side. She giggled, twisting in his hold happily, not really knowing if she wanted to move or not, yet making an noise of pleasure from the small stretch.

"Maybe I should go for round two? Get the job done?" he added, pinching her skin and earning a slap.

"You'll kill me, that your plan?" she asked, gazing up at him. She hissed when light flooded the room, and brought an arm up over her eyes, cursing at him.

"Too bright," she groaned.

Tolle laughed and adjusted the nightstand lamp, turning it just a bit dimmer. The room was bathed in amber light, and Miriallia seemed a bit appeased by this.

As he chuckled, she removed her arm and glared up at him, before she smirked. Drawing up against him, she pulled herself by his shoulders and kissed his ear, biting it none too gently.

"Ahh…h-hey, don't d-do that," he pleaded between gasping chuckles.

She grinned and pulled away, looking up at him, but she froze. Blinking, she stared at him a bit longer, and then an angered look crossed her face. His blue green eyes were wide and his pupils large and dilated, even with the light shining on him.

Jerking away from Tolle, Miriallia immediately began searching for her clothes amongst the tangled bed sheets. The boy watched her in surprise, and reached for her arm.

"Hey, what's wrong?" the brunet demanded, tugging her back. Mir glared at him fiercely and jerked her arm away.

"_What's wrong?_" she hissed between clenched teeth.

"Miri…"

"You're fucking high."

A thick silence fell between them, and Tolle looked away. Miriallia snorted and began pulling her shirt over her head.

"…s-sorry…"

"Like hell that makes up for anything," Mir snapped. She began tugging her underwear back on and stepped off his bed, searching for her sweatpants.

"I…I really thought you dropped this," the short haired girl admitted, "I guess it was ridiculous for me to believe you could. You know, weak will, fight the system, you're so oppressed, all that bullshit, right?"

Her glare made Tolle frown, and he leered at her, unable to even laugh as she struggled to pull up her pants.

"I did try, Miriallia. I did a great job; I'm not like I was before. I'm staying away from the hard stuff, I promise." he swore, looking her in the eye.

Narrowing her eyes, Miriallia stalked towards his dresser, pulling open one drawer, and digging around to pull up a plastic bag filled with small blue and white pills.

"New excuse, old hiding place. Real smart," she said, tossing the bag to the floor. "And no hard stuff?" she asked comically, shaking her head with a disgusted grin on her face.

"I'm not using, I swear, at least not that, Miri."

"Then you're dealing, big fucking difference." she whispered, and turned to slip out his bedroom window.

* * *

_One…two…three…Go._

Water splashed up against his face, bubbles flew down the length of his body, his legs kicked in rhythm with his arm strokes. His palm slapped the ledge, he flipped underwater. Kicked off the wall, shot through the blue.

Breaking the surface to breathe, Dearka sunk back and swam.

The length of the community center pool and back, five breaths. He remembered taking lessons years ago with the middle school swim team, and back then he had been an awful swimmer. He hated getting wet, hated how nasty his hair got, hated when it turned green from chlorine, hated water stuck in his ears.

But all it took was an icy blue stare and he'd stop complaining and just swim.

Always a competition with him…and Yzak had never had to try.

_One…two…three…GO._

Yzak was a natural swimmer, his mother called him a fish out of water. Dearka remembered how the pale boy always flushed red, even to his ears, when his mother said that, but he loved the praise. And then his mother would start bringing her boy toys with her to the meets like a social event for showing off, and then she stopped coming at all.

Yzak stopped swimming on the team, too.

Taking a fleeting breath before diving back down, Dearka recalled a strange memory. He'd asked Kira to join the team, back in eighth grade. The new kid was always off by himself, but he was tall and skinny, streamlined. The blonde knew he'd be a good swimmer, tried to convince the other that, too.

But he'd refused, and Dearka left him alone about it. Though when their gym class had taken a trip to the community center pool for the swim week unit, the tan boy thought he'd get another chance to recruit the kid. Kira had worn sweatpants and a turtleneck, refusing to swim.

It was Athrun and Yzak who thought it'd be funny to push him in anyways, and had caught the other by surprise. Kira couldn't swim, and he hadn't struggled long in the water, like the idea of dying had frozen him in the water. Dearka dove to grab him, and he was fine…but…Dearka remembered the look on his face when he pulled him from the water.

It wasn't…_frightened_…it was…_haunted_…

Kira had shivered and stared back out at the pool, and refused to change his clothes.

_One…two…three…GO!_

Dearka dove into the water, he forgot to take a breath beforehand…and struggled trying to decide to go up for air now and ruin the dive or keep going…or do nothing.

Sinking in the water, he tried to push whatever air was in his body out, he watched from his goggles as the air escaped in bubbles that floated to the surface. He removed the goggles, peeled away the swim cap, and dropped them, uncaring where they went. He just stared into the blue, watching the bottom of the pool and the reflections of light dancing there as it came closer.

Suddenly, he was being dragged back to the surface and the water broke as he threw his head back, gasping desperately for air against his will. Staring at the lights in the ceiling with shock, Dearka allowed himself to be dragged from the water, and brought up on the tiled floor.

Someone leant over him, hitting his face, pressing against his chest, and through the haze of his mind and dramatic breathing, Dearka thought he could hear, "_make me give you mouth to mouth_."

Blinking, he stopped gasping, and merely held the air inside for a moment, and let it out slowly, easing the lightheadedness he now felt. Soon, the world came back into focus, and he realized who had dragged him from the water.

"Y-Yzak…"

"Damn idiot, you shouldn't swim alone," the pale boy muttered, checking him over, and then fingering his head. "You messed up your dive and came up for air the wrong way, hit your head on the wall…" Yzak muttered.

"Huhh…I…I don't remember…ouch!" he hissed, and Yzak sighed, sitting back as the blonde sat up and cradled his head in his hands.

A few moments of silence passed, and Dearka glanced over curiously, and noticed Yzak was in sweats and a t-shirt…and they were soaked.

"What were you _thinking_?" Yzak grumbled under his breath.

"Um, sorry…" the blonde murmured, giving the other an apologetic grin. "What were you doing here anyway? Not exactly dressed for a swim."

"I've got my trunks on underneath, jackass."

"Oh."

And like that they were on bad terms again, and Yzak wasn't looking at him. Dearka wasn't even sure if he could ask about the other's mother, then alone how Yzak was doing.

"Be more careful, can't chase a girl that hates you if you're dead," the platinum haired boy sneered as he stood up. Dearka stared after him as he walked towards the locker room, and couldn't help the sour look on his face.

"Tell your mom a new video game is coming out, she could get it for her new boy toy, I mean, they're never much older than we are now, right? I'm sure he'd love it."

Yzak froze, and Dearka couldn't help but feel sickened with himself and satisfied at the same time.

_You hurt me, I'll hurt you too._

* * *

"_What…did you do?"_

Lacus wanted to vomit. She really…really…just…

Shaking her head, she glared in disgust towards her sister, shivering. Bringing up her arms, the pale girl embraced herself, gripping her arms tightly.

This was insane, ridiculous, disgusting…and Meer was just sitting there, staring at her with cloudy eyes and a stupid expression. As though this wasn't…wasn't…

"Oh but Lacus, can you really hate me like this?" Meer asked, a gentle smile on her face, lips stained red from the wine.

She lifted a hand and gestured to herself, glancing down, and then back to the younger girl again. With a shrug of her shoulders, she lifted the bottle and took a small sip.

"I look pretty, right? I look like her, so it's okay? Right?" she asked again, her voice cracking as though she were about to cry.

The sore girl stared wide eyed at the other, and shook her head, not sure of the feeling creeping up her spine and piercing into her chest. She was better than this…she knew her eyes couldn't be trusted right now…but…even her body…

She took one step…and then another, closer towards Meer…

"Her clothes are a bit small, but I still fit in this one, doesn't it look nice?" Meer asked, her voice slurred. Her free hand went to stroke the soft fabric of the nightgown, and she smiled warmly. "The resemblance was just so uncanny after I did my hair," she added.

Lacus could only stare at the other in silent horror as Meer lifted a hand to sift her fingers through the light pink tresses. Meer made a soft humming sound in delight a giggled.

"The dye made my hair really soft, it was easy to straighten as well! Come here and feel it, I promise it's just like hers," Meer's face beheld a saddened expression. "Oh, and don't worry, the shade isn't yours, I matched it to one of her wigs I found boxed in the bedroom closet,"

Lacus' lips were trembling.

"And you think that makes things any better!" she screeched, her voice higher than usual, her body tight and tense, wanting to burst apart.

She wanted to rip her eyes out, tear her bones from her own body…but she couldn't. She was rooted to the floor.

Meer snapped out of her thoughts and looked to Lacus confusedly, and then her russet red eyes widened. Carefully setting down the wine bottle, the older girl stood up unsteadily, trying to balance herself out. Giving another look of concern to Lacus, the girl reached her arms out to her.

"Lacus, you're crying," she made a soft cooing noise, "Please come here, to me…let me comfort you," and Meer took another step closer.

What's worse is that despite her want, desire, no, need to run away, for some reason Lacus wanted to believe that Meer was completely sincere with her words. And that frightened her.

"Stay away from me, you monster," the blue eyed girl choked out, bringing up a hand to wipe her face, wet with tears. Her nose was even running, and she cringed.

"Oh, sweet thing, poor thing," Meer cooed, and came close enough to reach out for Lacus' arm. Drawing her sister closer, Meer wrapped her arms around the trembling girl and held her against her chest. Petting her hair tenderly, the larger girl didn't seem to even realize that Lacus was struggling in her grasp.

"Let me go, just let me go!" the battered girl shrieked, jerking at Meer's arm, digging her nails in the other's hand. And still, Meer held her.

The struggle set Meer off balance even more so, and the two crumbled to the floor, Lacus' knees hitting the carpet. She threw herself away from Meer, but her older sister still clung to her, gripping her by the arms.

"Please Lacus…I know you hate me so much…but…" Meer's voice sounded so weak and small, Lacus couldn't help looking over her shoulder.

"But can't you please love me like this?" the other girl begged, pink hair sticking to her cheeks and spread messily over her forehead. Her dark eyes glistened with tears, and her face was dark and flushed.

"I look like Marianne, don't I? See, you don't have to hate me if I look like this!" Meer exclaimed, an ignorantly oblivious smile on her face.

Lacus froze, staring at Meer wide eyed. Her smile…that look in her eyes, her mother's clothes…

She lifted her free hand, unable to remember how to breathe.

Connection met between her palm and Meer's cheek, and the older girl's head turned from the force. Both had been deaf to the sound of the smack of flesh.

Meer let go of her little sister, and brought a hand up to her face, her expression a motionless mask.

"L-Lacus…I-I…" she stammered.

"I don't want to hear it!" the other girl screamed, stepping back, glaring heatedly.

"I'm going to…to b-be sick…" Meer gasped, and her fingers flew over her mouth just as she began to vomit the contents of her stomach all over the floor and the front of the nightgown.

Meer sunk to her knees sobbing, holding her messy hands in front of her as though the sight sickened her more. Crying out in surprise and panic, Meer heaved once again, choking and coughing and whining from the burn.

Though she would have been happy to leave her there and hope she passed out on her back and drown in her own vomit, Lacus couldn't help rushing to the kitchen to retrieve a bucket from underneath the sink, and brining it back to Meer.

The older girl grasped it desperately and heaved again inside of it, moaning and crying. Her skin burning hot and her head growing dizzy, Lacus didn't understand why or how she was able to drag Meer to the downstairs bathroom, or why she sought out cleaning rags and spray to clean up Meer's mess.

Though after she seemed to have gotten as much as she could from the carpet, Lacus stared down at the wet spot, and heard Meer heaving again in the bathroom. Blinking and allowing her tears to fall, the girl did all she could do.

She got sick over the carpet.

* * *

Funny what you forget about when you're angry…Like the fact that there's snow on the ground…and you're not wearing a jacket…or shoes for that matter.

Miriallia shivered again and pulled the loose sleeves of her shirt more tightly around herself. Why she just hadn't gone back home was beyond her level of thinking right now.

Glaring down at the snow, Mir sighed, trying to ignore the fact that she could see her breath clearly. Was it pride that kept her out this long and so late? Surely she'd freeze her feet off…

Spotting a bench, the girl hopped over to it and brushed snow off the seat to sit herself down and bring her feet up to burying against her thighs in an awkward sitting position. Sighing again and tilting her head back to stare up at the weak lamplight, Miriallia shivered. Yes, definitely pride…

Because no way was she afraid that Tolle would come after her, feed her excuses, the same excuses he gave her when he got kicked out of school, the same ones he gave her when he almost got busted for possession. She wasn't afraid…that she'd forgive him all over again and let him ruin himself on her blessing…

It went without saying she was avoiding thinking about Katie…because quite honestly she knew full well she would go crazy all alone and barefoot in the snow with however far away from home she was.

Oh wait…she already was.

"Doesn't matter," she muttered.

Across the street, a shouting match was going on in another run down house and apparently the wife was winning. Soon a man stormed out of the house, followed by a plate chucked after his head. A woman stood in the doorway, screaming profanity, possibly even in another language, and the man slammed his car door shut before speeding off.

And a few houses down surely the same thing was happening, but it would be a man beating his wife and she'd go cry and get over it and sleep with him, make him breakfast in the morning.

Deteriorating neighborhood, deteriorating morality, deteriorating sanity.

To Miriallia it was all the same. She could only smile grimly wondering what they thought of her and her own family.

"My feet are freezing…I need to get out of here…"

Standing, she was a little alarmed that she couldn't even feel her feet anymore. Huffing and wrapping her arms around herself, she began to turn around to head back…but something stopped her. An unfamiliar blue car. It wouldn't have bothered her…if it hadn't been for the brand of car and how clean it looked, despite it being winter. No one in this area could afford ZAFT model cars.

* * *

Tolle was on the front porch talking with someone when Miriallia reached her road. She didn't know who, couldn't really see him all too well, but it didn't matter. They were talking with their heads together and shoulders practically touching. _Like she hadn't seen that before._

When the other guy had left in his car, Mir didn't even register it was that odd blue car from earlier, she was too busy glaring up at Tolle. With hurt, she realized he must have been doing this for awhile, and right under her nose.

"So you came back finally?" Tolle called out to her, his tone sounding gruff, but he stood warily as though expecting her to lash out at him.

"No shoes." she spat back, and stalked to her front door. Grasping the doorknob, she realized how much trouble she'd get in if Ray was awake…though, maybe he hadn't noticed at all…

Nonetheless, it was better than facing Tolle again that night, and Mir would prefer anything to that. But opening the door, she was met with a strange sight…it was quiet…yet the television in the living room was on, and Ray was asleep on the couch…and on the kitchen counter was a bottle of nonprescription sleep-aid pills.

Stepping inside cautiously, the girl stepped quietly and carefully into the room, her immediate concern being Katie…

And then she heard it. The shower. Eyes wide in realization, Miriallia practically threw herself towards her room, flying across the floor and to the bathroom, her body slamming into the door. It was locked…again.

"Katie," Miriallia growled, hitting the stiff wood and jerking on the doorknob. "Open the door. Please."

The sink was running with the shower. Miriallia had her ear pressed to the door, but she couldn't hear anything…until the toilet flushed, and the shower was turned off. The sink was on another few moments, but it too was turned off, and finally silence met Mir's ears.

Soon, the lock clicked, and Katie opened the door, wiping her mouth with a tired look on her face.

"I don't want medicine anymore, no more," she said, staring straight up at Mir, "I'm not getting better."

And Mir stared back at her, wide eyed…

And then both of them blinked away their tears as Mir fell to her knees before her sister and embraced her.

Katie weakly returned the embrace, but her face looked troubled and pained.

* * *

It was earlier than most anyone else would ever come to school, but she didn't really have much choice. Rusty had called last night, saying they had to meet at school to talk. He'd found out something disturbing.

Sighing, the long haired girl shivered a bit from the cold, shifting her seated position on top of the school wall. Leave it to her to be the first one there, and it had been the other boy's idea in the first place, of course. That was probably why she was the Head Chair of the school's Disciplinary Committee and not her red-haired partner.

"Hey, morning!" a voice spoke up from behind, and she looked over her shoulder and grinned.

"Morning yourself," she nodded back to a blonde boy.

The boy hurried up to her and smiled, holding out a canned drink.

"Hot chocolate from the corner store," he said, pressing it to her knee.

Even through her stockings she could feel the warmth and she eagerly reached out for it.

"_Oh_, gimme,"

"Some manners, Miss Shiho," another boy spoke up. The girl and boy looked up to see Rusty coming up the sidewalk, wearing a hooded jacket over his school uniform that just looked ridiculous.

"At least she has better fashion sense than you," the blonde boy quipped, earning a pat on the head from Shiho and a playful leer from Rusty.

"Harhar, I've seen her wardrobe, Miguel, quite last season," the redhead said with a flick of his wrist and Shiho smirked darkly at him.

Rusty looked from her to Miguel and a confused expression fell across his face. "What? Somethin' on my face?"

"You do it just a bit too well," Shiho replied, flicking her wrist as Rusty had done, and Miguel averted his gaze and hid a chuckle behind his own hot drink.

Rusty stared between the two of them and rolled his eyes.

"Oh Shiho, you card…you're so funny I split my sides laughing – no, really, see? Organs spilling everywhere."

"That's gross, man," Miguel pointed out quietly, earning a cross look from the other.

"So before we go off making fun of Rusty, what exactly did you make me get out of bed an hour early for?" Shiho interrupted before a spat broke out.

All playfulness and joking fell from the red-head's expression and he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

"Did either of you watch the news last night?" he asked, not bothering with exasperation at their looks of confusion.

"Uh, no…" Miguel said, glancing to Shiho.

"They had a story on current events. Gang activity and teen deviant activity have both risen," Rusty began to explain, and the other two nodded. That wasn't exactly new, they dealt with some wayward students nearly every day, Zala had merely been a treat the other morning.

"But rape and assault has been a lot worse, and there's a new drug, not even in the system yet. Pretty much miracle date rape, Coordinator enhanced," the young man joked solemnly. "It'll hit a Natural pretty hard, but it's strong enough to combat a Coordinator's ability to metabolize and withstand most drugs' effects."

"And you want to spread student body awareness." Miguel concluded, getting a nod from Rusty.

Shiho sat deep in thought, recalling the girls she saw the other day. Could it be possible there was a connection? Maybe she would have to find them again…

"What do you think, Shiho? Should we go with an assembly or get the Spirit Squad to make posters? I guess we could get the sports teams, but the guys' teams may not be the best poster candidates…Shiho?"

"Huh?"

"You hearing us? We gotta do something, even fear tactics sound good to me." Rusty admitted, Miguel nodding seriously.

"This is pretty dangerous news, we can't let anyone from Kurenai Sakura get hurt because of it," he added.

Shiho sighed and nodded, a thoughtful look in her clear violet eyes. The situation was a delicate one, it would require work on the student body and faculty's part for any good to be done.

"I'll talk to the Principal later this morning, see what we can get done today." the girl finally said, sipping her drink.

Rusty nodded and cursed the cold. Saying he'd go to get a drink from the corner store, he left the other two Disciplinary Committee members with a wave. After he'd been gone for a bit, Miguel glanced up at Shiho, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Hey, Shiho…" he began, getting the older girl's attention.

"Hm?"

"You…you'll be careful, right? Like, not going anywhere at night alone or something…" the blonde stammered out, not meeting her gaze.

Shiho smiled and slipped off from her perch on top of the wall. Throwing an arm around Miguel's shoulder, she pulled him close and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'll be plenty careful," she said, closing her eyes for a moment, "Though maybe I should be worried about you? You're so cute after all, I'd hate to think Rusty might stalk you in a dark alley…"

"Hardy har har, real funny."

"Shut up and kiss me."

* * *

Demented as it sounded, Cagalli couldn't help the strange feeling in her chest every time she glimpsed herself in the mirror that morning. It wasn't shame…or anger, or fear…she had no name for it, but it almost felt like satisfaction.

Her cheek was just a bit swollen, barely noticeable she was sure, though she could see the difference easily. And she had dark circles beginning under her eyes, they weren't horrid or too haunted, and her mouth was set in a tight line, no nonsense.

She wasn't some scared little girl waiting in the corner and hiding her head in her knees, she was angry.

Running her fingers over the dark mark marring her eye, her lips quivered, but she was nowhere near crying.

Stepping out of the bathroom and adjusting her tie, Cagalli looked up and wasn't so surprised to see Kira standing just a few feet away, a guilty expression on his face. The girl noticed the dark circles underneath his bloodshot eyes, knew they were only getting deeper. In fact, he looked like he hadn't slept at all, and maybe he'd even been crying.

She almost opened her mouth to ask, but merely tightened her frown and averted her gaze to the floor, not wanting to look at him. What did she care? He wanted to be a baby and simply cry that she got hit? Fine, let him. If he really wanted to care and prove it, he would _do_ something about it.

He lifted a hand to reach for her, but she jerked away, lifting her own hand to brush her hair behind her ear.

"Um, I guess we should get going, huh?" he asked nervously…and he seemed to let out a small sigh of relief when she gave the curtest nod.

If the morning encounter hadn't been awkward enough, though, the walk to school was worse.

Cagalli made sure she was a step or several ahead of her brother, and every time he tried to catch up to her, try and touch her shoulder, make her listen to something, she pulled away. A flash of testy gold eyes, and she was practically miles ahead of him again.

When Kira stopped reaching her, she seemed to slow her pace just a bit, but only from the certainty he wouldn't try to talk to her again. She honestly wanted nothing to do with him.

Rubbing her wrist, her blazer sleeve came up some, and she shivered when a glimmer off her bracelet caught her eye. It was just the cold, she reasoned. Just the cold.

Kira still called a good-bye to her when they reached the school, but she seemed all too eager to be rid of him and rushed towards the middle school, gone behind the doors in seconds.

Past that barrier, Cagalli ran through the motions of her locker and the girl's bathroom, just to get another glimpse of herself in the mirror, another assurance that this proved she wasn't a useless little girl anymore, and then she dragged herself to homeroom, starting to doubt what exactly was running through her mind.

Unsurprisingly, the teacher was nowhere in sight, but a student or two were at their desks, sleeping or reading or finishing homework…take your pick. What did surprise her was that Stellar was there, slumped over her desk with her head buried in her arms. Drawing closer, Cagalli allowed herself to melt away best she could, and replace her gloom with concern.

Reaching warily for Stellar's shoulder, Cagalli jumped a bit at the same time Stellar did. The other blonde jolted upright in her seat, turning her wide gaze upon Cagalli. It wouldn't have taken much of a genius to tell she'd been crying, there were still tears on her lashes.

"Stellar," Cagalli murmured, dropping her schoolbag on the desk before leaning down, her face close to her friend's. "What…what's wrong?"

Stellar blinked, confused for a moment, and the older girl could see the realization flicker behind those magenta orbs. Lifting a hand, she wiped one eye slowly, trouble clouding her gaze as she opened and closed her mouth, trying and failing to find her words. It was then Cagalli noticed her fingertips, looking a bit swollen and red.

"Hey, your hand, what happened!" Cagalli demanded, reaching for Stellar's hand and bringing it close to her face, holding it carefully in both her hands.

"Uh, um…just, burns…" Stellar began to say, but her gaze shifted to the doorway, and widened. "H-Hey, Katie…"

Cagalli furrowed her brow, staring at Stellar wide eyed, unable to put into words her concern and confusion, but she glanced over her shoulder in the direction her friend was staring and glanced back to the blonde.

"We're talking about these later," she hissed, but allowed Stellar to take back her hands and stand. Together they walked towards the doorway to meet an ashen faced Katie.

Stellar was first to reach out to grab her hand, and the pale girl smiled weakly towards her.

"Oh my God, your hair looks so, different! It's nice, of course, but you didn't skip school to go get it done, did you?" Stellar asked, her sadness from before practically gone from her face. Cagalli couldn't help following her example and pushing away her own dark expression, trying to look excited and welcoming.

"We were really worried, you've been looking pretty sick lately," the blonde girl added, and from the sharp leer from Stellar and the abashed look on Katie's face, Cagalli knew she'd said the wrong thing.

"I didn't skip school for the heck of it, I had to see the doctor," Katie said outright, glancing down at the tile floor. "I've been really sick, so, what could I do? My sister cut my hair for me," the girl added, lifting her free hand up to run through the short locks. She merely brushed away the few stray hairs that came with her fingers when she pulled her hand back down to her side.

Stellar eyed her for a moment, surprised look pasted on her face. But then she blinked and shook her head.

"Well your hair is really cute, that makes up for creepy doctors, right?" she said with a shrug.

Katie's face seemed to light up a bit, and she nodded. The three made their way back to the desks, getting situated comfortably before Stellar began asking about Katie's ditch days.

"I know you've got a lot of work or whatever, but did you get to sleep in and eat junk food all day?" she asked.

"Um, yeah, there's a lot of work piling up…and no, I didn't really have the stomach for food…but I would stare at stuff in the fridge and practically drool, before I wanted to heave, anyway," the girl admitted, seeming to have a surprised look on her own face. As though she hadn't expected her own words.

Stellar gave her another odd look, but shook it away.

"Well, you know, me and Cagalli may not be geniuses but we do pretty well in class, we could help you out if you wanted," the blonde suggested, giving the other a warm smile. "Like, a study party after school or something, you know?"

Katie looked a bit surprised, and Cagalli was ready to jump in with some story about Stellar helping her out, but the other beat her to the line.

"Please don't hate me, but I know you're not doing so well in some classes," Stellar admitted, staring at the desktop so she didn't see Katie's shocked look. "I saw some of your papers, and they were practically red posters. I really can help you out, you don't have to struggle all alone, okay? Cagalli and I really want to help you," the girl urged.

Katie seemed to look a bit troubled for a few moments, but she slowly began to smile, and soon lifted a hand to her mouth in an effort to cover her laughter.

"You know…I hadn't planned…to finish much of any…of that work!" Katie choked out between laughs that became just a bit too loud than the two blonde girls had expected. "But…you want to help…me…"

Cagalli felt her breath catch in her throat when she realized Katie was beginning to cry. Stellar caught on, and immediately wrapped an arm around Katie's shoulders, pulling her close.

"Do you, need something? Or…uh," Cagalli began to say, but at that moment a few other students began entering the room, and were staring in their direction. Cagalli sent them a dirty glare, but she look up when she spotted Shinn and Ahmed among them.

Both boys hurried over, though Shinn seemed to freeze when he glanced at Stellar, and the two locked gazes. Ahmed glanced from them to Cagalli to Katie, looking a bit helpless, and Cagalli stood up from her chair.

"I'll take Katie to the bathroom," she said, reaching for Katie's arm, but Stellar shook her head, standing up quickly. Gripping the frail girl's shoulders, Stellar wrapped her arm back around the other's shoulders and turned towards the classroom door.

"I can take her, you tell the teacher I got sick and Katie took me to the bathroom," the blonde urged, and then practically flew from the room, dragging Katie along behind her.

Ahmed stared after them, a confused look on his face. Turning to Shinn, the dark skinned boy scratched his head.

"Wouldn't saying Katie was sick make more sense?"

"The teacher likes Stellar a lot…" Shinn murmured quietly, not looking at either of his friends.

"She would let them off without any warning; Katie might have gotten a late slip if she had been the cause." Cagalli finished, knowing what Shinn had meant…but he was acting strange as well.

Ahmed still looked skeptical for someone used to making up excuses, and Shinn said nothing more. Cagalli felt awkward just standing, and sunk back in her seat, running her hands through her hair.

"Hey…why was Katie crying?" Ahmed finally asked, and Cagalli stayed silent, because she honestly didn't know.

* * *

After seeing Cagalli off, Kira had switched hands holding his schoolbag and started off towards the school, digging his phone from his pocket.

He'd meant to text Lacus, asking how she was, apologize for not seeing her yesterday…

But just as he began the message, he'd felt a sudden jerk on his collar and looking to the side he found himself staring straight into Athrun Zala's bright green gaze.

More caught off guard and tired, Kira allowed Athrun to grab his arm and drag him off towards the side of the school. A reluctant look crossed his face but he said nothing.

Reaching a secluded area away from the incoming crowd of the school, the two met with a few other students, a few of them smoking. With a simple glare from Athrun and a jerk of his head, they began clearing out, begrudgingly at that. Most likely they didn't want to get caught up in some ridiculous fight.

Once alone, Athrun wasted no time shoving Kira down to the snow.

"Sorry Azrael, been awhile, right?" Athrun said with a mocking tone to his voice.

Staying silent, Kira merely sat up and attempted to stand, brushing snow from his uniform with one hand, glancing at his phone in the other. Athrun didn't seem to like that.

Not wasting another moment, Athrun stalked over and grabbed the phone from the other's hand before he tossed it aside. Kira flashed a dark look at the other and clenched his hands into fists.

"Oh, gonna fight back this time?" the pale boy inquired, smirking. "Be a bit of a change from your latest tactic, huh?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Kira uttered, voice low.

"Pssh, of course not!" the other mused, snorting bemusedly.

Confused, Kira eyed the other warily and glanced to where his phone had been tossed. He really didn't want to have to deal with this right now.

"I knew you were a weak mess, Azrael, but getting someone else to go after me? I thought you played with morals and all that shit." Athrun growled, narrowing his eyes as he recalled that girl's face from the other morning, self-righteous and smug.

"I really don't know what you're going on about," Kira said again.

He sighed and shook his head, turning away from Athrun to go searching for his phone in the snow. Seeing that the brunet wasn't paying him proper attention, Athrun bristled and grit his teeth.

Lunging after the other, he caught Kira off guard and was able to slam him up against the brick wall of the school. Shoving his arm up against the other boy's throat, Athrun glared fiercely at the other.

"Those Disciplinary fucks got a pretty good shot at me the other day, but I know it was you that sent them. Practically put a bow on them for me, right? That girl has a thing coming if she thinks I'll let her get away with that," the dark haired boy muttered, practically hissing.

"For the last fucking time, I have no idea," Kira didn't have the chance to finish since Athrun's fist came up to smash against his face.

The shock of pain sent Kira reeling and he cried out in surprise. Something hot and fiery let go inside of him at that moment, something shattered, and his eyes flashed open, dark and dangerous, and he slid down a bit on the wall, grabbed Athrun's arm, and did his best to sink in his teeth through the fabric.

Athrun cried out in surprise and stepped back, and Kira let go and sent a kick at his ankles. The other Coordinator stepped back again, dodging the kick, and threw himself forward to send his fist flying for Kira's face.

Ducking the punch, the brunet leapt to the side and brought his arms up to absorb Athrun's next punch. Surprising the other, Kira grabbed his arm and jerked downwards, twisting slightly, and then sending his fist flying for Athrun's face. Landing the hit, Kira meant to back up, but Athrun sent a well-aimed kick to the brunet's shins.

Hissing in pain, Kira sunk to his knees in the snow, the blow having a smarting effect rather quickly. He honestly wasn't all too surprised when Athrun's fist made contact with his own face, and crashed against his jaw. Falling on his back in the snow, the skinny boy coughed, winded, and didn't have time to prepare for Athrun jumping him.

Grabbing the other boy's short hair, Athrun clenched his fist and slammed it down against the brunet's nose. Kira cried out, and struggled beneath him. The blue haired coordinator got in two more hits before he was tossed off and the other lunged at him. With startling speed, Kira sent a strong blow right near the corner of Athrun's mouth, and the other coughed when his teeth easily tore through the soft tissue inside his mouth, allowing a thick flow of blood to fill his mouth.

Kira got off of him then, and retreated to go grab his phone from the snow. Athrun pulled himself up and spat, staining the white ground with dark red, and he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. Glaring daggers at the other, he snarled ferociously as he jumped up to dive at the other.

The two tumbled down to the snow, and much to Athrun's surprise, Kira slammed his own phone against the other's temple, stunning him for a moment. Kira was able to get on top of him, readying a punch, but suddenly voices were shouting and Kira was torn off of the other boy.

Athrun was picked up from the ground, but rather than someone asking if he was alright, his arms were pulled behind his back tightly to restrain him.

"What the hell," he growled, surprised and enraged when he realized his words came out a bit garbled. Coughing, he spat at the ground again, a new spot of dark red staining the snow.

Mwu La Flaga was holding Kira, and glanced back to the other teacher on the scene. Murrue Ramius stared between both boys, a confused and concerned look on her face, mixed with anger.

"Waltfeld, La Flaga, bring them both to the office. The nurse needs to take a look at them, and then we'll get to talking," she ordered, and both men nodded.

"C'mon," Andrew Waltfeld grumbled to Athrun, urging the boy forward. The Coordinator teen snorted and growled he could walk on his own, and was aptly released. Kira as well was let go, and immediately he began to clutch the bridge of his nose, tilting his head back.

It took until now for Athrun to realize that the other was bleeding profusely from his nose, there was blood smeared all over his lips and chin. With a stab in his pride, the pale boy had to spit a mouthful of blood into the snow again, ignoring the look of disgust on the dark skinned teacher behind him.

* * *

It had been a long morning, and Miriallia hadn't seen a single glimpse of Kira. She'd gotten to school a bit late, ignoring Tolle's offer to drive, and even ignoring Katie when the younger girl chose to ride with him.

Honestly, sickening as it was, Miriallia found herself not even caring if Tolle was high at that moment he drove off, with her little sister in the backseat. All reason told her, assured her, that she knew he'd never be so irresponsible. But that in itself sounded like a load of bullshit.

A responsible druggie? Right, that would be the day.

Shivering and stewing in her prickling anger, Miriallia had stomped her way to school and barely made it to first period before the bell rang. She didn't exactly seek out Kira, but…not seeing him…it was odd. Made her uncomfortable.

And then she remembered that she was hating him right now, him and Lacus, really. Neither of them was telling her what was going on, and she was putting up with enough of that shit with Katie, she didn't have to take it from her friends.

Though…that brought her mind to wander during class rather than focus on the lesson, and she found herself staring at the back of Dearka's head.

Worrying her lip, she recalled his expression the other day, the hurt in his face…Had it even been that? Was she just seeing things?

That had to be it…like Dearka Elthman had any feelings whatsoever that could be bothered with anything pertaining to her existence.

But…that wasn't quite right, was it?

Biting down harshly on her swollen lip, Miriallia absently brushed her knuckles over her wrist through her sleeve. Dearka…had been close to seeing them that time…when he stole her notebook…and the other day…Squeezing her eyes shut she sighed from between clenched teeth and sunk lower at her desk. She didn't want to be thinking about all this.

Speak of the devil, Dearka had shifted in his seat, and his pen had rolled off the desktop. When he bent over to pick it up, he glanced over his shoulder and their eyes met. Miriallia almost felt like she'd been caught red handed or something, but he merely averted his gaze and stared back up at the board.

It was like…she'd just been rebuffed.

She wasn't going to acknowledge the fact that she felt bothered by that.

* * *

Staring at the pruned skin, Lacus merely blinked and shivered in the cold water. Glancing down, she realized she had no idea how long she'd been sitting in the bathtub.

Was it warm when she got in? She didn't remember.

Running a pruned and damp hand over her shoulder and upper arm, the long haired girl found that her skin was covered in gooseflesh. Cringing, she gripped the edges of the tub and began to lift herself out of the water, enjoying the pitter-splatter of water droplets as they fell from her skin.

She was careful stepping out, noticing that somehow the tiled floor of her bathroom was wet as well. It took a moment to decide whether to find a robe or towel, or unplug the tub first. The tub won, and she quickly undid the drain, and was mesmerized for a few seconds, watching as the water slowly formed a tiny whirlpool as it disappeared.

When her mother had given her baths so many years ago, Lacus could remember watching the water drain, mesmerized, as her mother brushed her hair.

Marianne had always loved brushing her hair…

Pulling a thick robe tightly around her body, Lacus rubbed her temples with two fingers on each side, wondering why she had such a headache. She'd…slept most of the morning away…so why did she feel like she hadn't found a moment of peace in several years?

Deciding to get some aspirin and something to eat from downstairs before sleeping some more, the girl ventured out of her room and headed down to the kitchen. She didn't once consider the idea that Meer had stayed home that day.

But there she was, sitting at the kitchen table, head in her hands and hair a damp mess…but it was still pink.

So last night hadn't been some frighteningly sick nightmare.

Hearing her approach, Meer lifted her head from her hands, and her eyes widened when she saw Lacus. The other could only wonder if she looked worse than she had yesterday…and then she realized her bruises were probably beginning to yellow by now, couldn't have looked pleasant.

"Lacus…" Meer began, her words already sounding apologetic.

With a harsh veil of cold, Lacus turned her gaze away from her sister and she walked stiffly to the cabinet they kept all manner of odd things from medicine to nail polish remover to flashlights. The aspirin bottle she was looking for was missing, though.

"Sorry, I kinda took the last ones early this morning…" Meer spoke up from across the kitchen, sounding meek.

Lacus paused, her hand on the cupboard door, before she slowly closed the cabinet and rested her palms on the counter's granite surface.

"I see."

Silence followed, and the wall of tension began building up, brick by thick brick, until Lacus felt sure she could have broken bones if she hit it hard enough.

"About last night, Lacus, I'm so sorry," Meer began to say, the legs of her chair scraping against the floor as she stood.

"Really." the younger girl uttered under her breath, refusing to look at the other girl.

"Honest, Lacus, I'm sorry…I know I must have said strange things,"

The bruised girl gripped the counter edge so tightly her hands shook.

"I don't remember all I said, but,"

"You don't remember! Oh, what a great excuse!" Lacus screamed, hunching her shoulders as the shaking spread from her hands to her arms.

"I'm sorry! And I'm sorry for getting Marianne's dress dirty, but I'm sending it to be cleaned properly, and,"

"You can't say that name in front of me, you can't speak of her at all!" the younger girl hissed, feeling her legs go weak as moisture began collecting in her eyes.

For all the hostility in her voice, Lacus honestly could barely stand, and her entire body was beginning to shake with distress. Her nose began to run, and the back of her throat stung.

"Then I'm sorry for that, too! You have to believe me, I am sorry, Lacus, for every little thing," Meer said, and Lacus nearly fell she was so close now. She hadn't even heard her walk across the room.

Before she could think of a plan, two arms encircled Lacus and pulled her against her sister's chest. Holding her tightly but surely, Meer cradled Lacus against her and pressed her lips to her sister's hair. One hand fell from Lacus' clothed shoulder and to her chest, stroking the soft fabric of the robe over her breast.

"Lacus…I love you so much…" Meer whispered, and the blue eyed girl shrieked and tried to leap away, but only lost her footing and brought them both down to their knees on the hard floor.

"Let me go," she sobbed, gripping Meer's arms and trying to push them away.

"I'm sorry, sorry, sorry," Meer continued, her voice sounding drizzled in tears, and she gave a little to Lacus' struggles.

Breaking free from the cage of Meer's arms, the younger girl scrambled across the floor, slipping and hitting her elbow and knee again, but she pushed on and skidded to her feet before sprinting back to the front stairs to race back upstairs to her room.

Still kneeling in the kitchen, Meer slowly brought her arms up and embraced herself tightly, wanting to stop her own shivering. She began murmuring something frantically as hot tears began streaming from her tightly shut eyes.

* * *

Again, Shinn was biting his thumbnail, and Cagalli was guessing there wasn't much left to gnaw before he was simply chewing on skin.

He'd been pretty quiet since the class had started, and wouldn't make contact with Cagalli or Ahmed. In fact, when Stellar had returned with a calmed but flush-faced Katie, Shinn had placed his chin on his hand and stared out the window and made no attempt to speak to any of them for the rest of homeroom.

Having been staring at him for the better part of class, Cagalli was trying to piece together what was bothering him. With a nagging feeling in the back of her mind, she was wondering if Stellar had anything to do with this.

When the bell rang, Cagalli reached over for Shinn's shoulder and held him back.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah, fine." he replied quietly, not meeting her gaze.

"Bullshit."

Shinn shrugged, slinging his bag over his shoulder before digging his hands into his pockets.

"Is something going on?"

"It's stupid, don't worry about it…" the dark haired boy finally admitting, trying to flash her a grin. "I'm just overreacting, no big deal."

Cagalli watched him silently for a moment, saw the turmoil in his gaze, and glanced at his half-assed grin.

"C'mon, we've gotta get moving."

"Yeah, okay…" she said, following him out of the classroom.

* * *

"Kira, could I talk to you for a moment?" Murrue said, peering around the corner of an office room.

Kira was sitting alone on a wooden bench outside of the nurse's office where Athrun was getting looked over. The brunet nodded, winced from the action, and stood carefully. His fingers were practically glued to his nose which he couldn't tell hurt worse with or without his hand there.

The teachers had wondered if his nose was broken, and the nurse had even placed her thumbs on either side, meaning to feel it out and see, but after wiping away the blood and factoring in swelling, they reasoned that Kira was just banged up pretty bad all over…but he was still having a killer nosebleed.

Without speaking, Kira stood before the dark haired woman as she looked him up and down again, a worried look on her face.

"Now, I'm not going to speak with you about…this…" she gestured to his injuries "but Kira, I am a little worried about you."

"No need, Ms. Ramius," he spoke up quietly, wincing from the pain of the movements, and hating how odd his voice sounded.

"I don't mean to be prying into your private life…but Kira, were you at the shopping district last night?" Murrue asked, honey eyes locked with his violet gaze.

The boy's wide eyed look seemed to be enough of an answer for her.

"I…saw you, leaving I believe. A woman was speaking with you…now don't misunderstand, I'm not accusing you of anything, but Kira…who was she?" she asked quietly.

Kira stared wide eyed at his teacher, and his eyes flashed to the side where Athrun was being pointed out of the Nurse's office to the bench, and then back to Murrue.

"_I'm your mother."_

"I don't know, she mistook me for someone else." Kira murmured quietly, looking away from the woman. "May I go and sit now?"

"Um, yes, of course," Murrue nodded, and watched the boy leave.

Mwu and Andrew left the Nurse and strode to where Murrue stood, both teachers giving the boys dubious looks.

"I expect this sort of thing from Zala…but Azrael's a good kid," Mwu murmured quietly, a critical look in his eyes.

"Doesn't matter which one's an honor student or skips class to feed the homeless or kick 'em, they were both seen fighting on school grounds and did another student, each other, physical harm." Andrew pointed out, not looking too thrilled either. "They could face rough punishment."

"I'm just glad the students spoke up about it as soon as they did, I thought it was strange they were both missing after the bell rang," Murrue said, eyes downcast. "But…they were only whispering about having to miss the fight outside, my class didn't seem particularly concerned for either of them…"

"Kids are cruel, Murrue," Mwu said with a shrug.

* * *

Athrun cast a sharp glare towards Kira as the brunet returned to sit down a few feet away from him on the same bench. Apparently they were both going to get hit with a punishment, and Athrun really wasn't too surprised that he felt smug Azrael's perfect little record was going to be sullied.

But still…his face hurt like hell, and his lip was still bleeding, albeit a little less than before. He had to hold a thick square of paper towel there with his tongue on the inside while he held an icepack to his cheek on the outside.

"…I still don't understand…" Kira muttered, "Why you came after me like that. You seemed to have a reason this time, but I really don't get it."

Athrun bristled, and carefully took out the paper towel square from his mouth.

"You sent those DC fucks after me, jackass."

"If you're talking about Shiho Hahnenfuss, then I still don't know what you're talking about." Kira said, agitation growing in his voice.

Athrun smirked at how odd it sounded, but it fell when he absorbed the other's words.

"I don't know any damn Shiho, but I got jumped the other morning. This was supposed to be payback."

"I haven't spoken to Shiho or any of the DC since…two weeks ago, when I helped her out with something on a project," Kira explained, closing his eyes as he sighed in exasperation.

"So…you didn't ask them to come after me?" Athrun asked slowly.

"No, I didn't. To be honest, I quite prefer ignoring the fact of your existence unless you happen to be, I dunno, smashing my skull in." the brunet revealed, rather bluntly. "But…you got jumped by them? Wonder if I'm supposed to send a note of gratitude…" His joke went unacknowledged.

"Huh…" Athrun grunted, letting his gaze fall down to the tile floor as he put the towel back in his mouth. "You look like shit," he added, glancing at the other with a surprisingly neutral look.

"I've had worse." Kira shrugged, not commenting on how ridiculous the other sounded with paper towel in his mouth. He didn't look at Athrun, didn't see the odd, questioning look in the other's eyes.

A few moments of quiet ensued, and the two sat in the uncomfortable silence.

Finally, Kira broke it…with a question.

"Do you…look like your parents?"

The blue haired boy took a few moments to register what the other just asked, and still he cast a confused look at the brunet.

"What…why does…" Athrun began to ask, his words barely intelligible around the paper towel. He took it out, though, and swallowed, cringing at the metallic taste that rushed down his throat.

"…My mom. I look a lot like her." he finally admitted, not really wanting to pursue more odd conversation.

"I…see…" Kira muttered, staring up at the ceiling.

His mother…had had green eyes and violet hair…

His father had had dark hair, and dark eyes…

Neither he nor Cagalli had their features.

That delusional woman from the café…her eyes…

Kira shut his eyes and furrowed his brow, growling lowly in his throat as he rubbed the bridge of his nose some more. Blood had started seeping from his nostrils again, and he viciously wiped his nose on his shirt sleeve.

"You threw a damn awful punch," Kira muttered darkly, sending a sideways glare towards the other Coordinator.

Athrun didn't understand why, but for some reason he began to laugh.

"You hit pretty damn well, yourself…" he finally said, taking out the paper towel for a moment and bowing his head. "When you fight back…"

The two returned to the uncomfortable silence, but this time neither of them was willing to break it.

* * *

_/You see, it's never been enough  
__Just to leave all you gave up  
__But, it's never good enough to feel right/  
__The Photograph is Proof – Taking Back Sunday_

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Haha…so much work, and yet I don't seem to be getting much closer to any solid conclusions anywhere.

Lots of drama going on for everyone it seems in this chapter. Get some more on Stellar, and there'll be even more next chapter. In fact, the other Extended will be making an appearance next chapter! Shinn is getting an even bigger dosage of plot coming up as well.

Miriallia honestly has her hands quite full, and things are only getting better…and whether that's a good thing or bad thing is a mystery. Dearka and Yzak are getting their tension, and yes, Disciplinary Committee identities are revealed! Super secret of mine, I quite liked Miguel, Rusty and Shiho. Perhaps I felt for them because of what little screen time they got? (Poor, poor Rusty) But they get a place in my story, and they'll get plenty of screen time.

And Lacus…and Meer…I'm gonna be honest, I like my Meer character. Lacus is nowhere near safe, expect more. On a negative aspect, this specific story seems to be using Meer as an Anti-Lesbian statement or something…poor Lacus will never feel safe around men or women again, good think Kira's pretty enough to be either or.

And…what's this with Athrun! I'll leave you all to make your own conclusions.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know it's a bit…different, but I hope you put up with it nonetheless and enjoy it, review, and tell me what you think of it!

Oh, and I'm having a bit of a…**contest-ish **thing I suppose. There's something in it for you lovely people, though. Now, I recently came into the ownership of a sugar glider…pretty much an unbelievably adorable exotic flying squirrel. But I have a dilemma: I have no idea what to name her.

SO! You, readers, I'm asking to come up with a name or two or seven and put them at the end of your review. Or you could head over to my livejournal and see some bad quality pictures of her, and leave a comment there with a name suggestion. Cruddy ploy for reviews? Act of laziness to not name my own pet? Doesn't matter.

Because the person who submits the winning name will get to request for the next update. As in, if they want me to update Assassin Angel before FYAI, or another story (within reason) or even request a new story (again, within reason), I will set my mind on and put all my power into that request to turn it out first and in a timely manner. If the winning name is a repeat, I'll try and take it from the person who said it first, though I wouldn't mind you guys getting creative~

Come one guys, it's a sweet little biting machine softer than a baby and she's barking all night with no name, don't you want to give the sweet little thing a name?

_Love,_  
_Sam_


	22. When We Die

**For You and I**

_A/N:_ So I think I'll stop with these author's notes, I think I abuse them and that's not fair to you guys. So from now on, there won't be an author's note unless something important is up or I respond to some reviews~ Speaking of which, thanks for the reviews everyone, I certainly appreciate all of your input, including the constructive criticism! Especially so, since I can put it to use to make the experience better for you all!

(But I certainly make no promises to let up on the dark or "emo" stuff, though I certainly detest the use of emo describing anything other than music or fashion, but that's just me~)

Oh, and the winner of the Name Contest was **Efflorescent**, and my baby is now named Trixie. I have a much longer thank you to everyone who contributed and reviewed in my livejournal if you were hoping to see your name, but I didn't want to take up too much space here and prolong your reading of the chapter. You can thank **Efflorescent **for this update, as I was on a miserable vacation and not up to much of anything not DeviantArt or Pokémon related – long story (and I have a DA account, link in my profile to see some of mah arts...yeah, shameless advertising, are you surprised?) – and the request was for an update at the end of the month, and I tried to type this up the entire sixteen hour drive home on July 31…but things didn't work out, and these past few days have been a bit…ehh…EITHER WAY.

Here now, boring author's note done.

* * *

**Chapter 22 When We Die**

The afternoon sunlight spilt through the windows, pale with winter's approaching kiss, but the sky outside was clear and light. All was a welcome change from the cold, wet days before.

A pen scratched diligently on paper before the holder dropped it with a bored groan. Stretching his arms above his head, Athrun glared darkly at the written assignment on the desk before him. Before he could slack off much, a sharp flick to the back of his head shocked him back to earth and he lurched, reaching up to rub his head, glaring at his abuser.

Kira eyed him and rolled his eyes, resting his cheek in his palm as he stared at his companion. Their punishment for the fight days before had been two weeks worth of after school detention and after two days of boring and wool-thick silence between them, Athrun hesitantly brought up resuming tutoring. The brunet easily agreed, and the sessions had gone more or less without incident.

Well, despite being the person who initiated the continuation, Athrun certainly seemed to feel it was his duty to kick and hiss the entire way. He certainly didn't like that Kira had ended his meekness from like before, as seen with the fearless annoyance he had to be able to strike the other…as harmless as it was.

"I hate this fucking shit…" he grumbled, grabbing his pen and messing with the cap.

"Watch your language." Kira narrowed his eyes and Athrun sneered.

The raven haired boy once again resumed his assignment, uttering a colorful curse at Kira who stared back with bemusement and a shit-eating-grin that seemed to say 'You don't scare me.' Because, to be honest, he really didn't…not now.

Ducking his head, his longish hair covering his face, Athrun sighed quietly and stared at his writing for a few moments, trying to regain focus. For just a split second, his lips pulled just slightly into a small grin, and then it was gone.

Quickly as it came.

Silence returned to the otherwise empty classroom, but it was not suffocating.

**

* * *

**

In yet another classroom, a few more students milled about. Most of them were from a home economics class and working on sewing projects or reading over recipes. Due to the population being mostly of the fairer set, there was light chatter in the air and stage whispers dotting the conversations with peals of giggles.

At a group of desks pulled together in the back of the classroom, Lacus sat with a girl from her own home ec class and listened to try and understand what had been gone over in class the past few days she was gone. Miriallia sat beside her, pleasantly enough, eating from the many baggies of cookies and treats her classmates had made as get well presents for Lacus.

Miriallia had offered to help her with homework when she'd appeared at school that morning, looking ashen and timid, but she'd smiled and said Kira was helping her, and Miriallia had backed off crossly. When Kira came up to meet them, embracing Lacus gently, she'd glared at him over the pale girl's shoulder, but had said nothing.

"Hey Milly, pass me one of those red-filled ones, please?" Lacus asked, turning to her.

Mir complied and dropped the cookie in the other girl's hand, grinning kindly.

"I'm glad you've got an appetite, you were sick for so long I was really worried," she added, her smile faltering just a bit to show the concern she still held underneath.

Lacus averted her gaze and stared back to the textbook her classmate had gotten for her. The dark haired girl was waiting patiently for the two to finish talking, but catching Miriallia's look, she patted Lacus' shoulder and promised to be back in a few minutes.

With no present distractions, Lacus popped the whole cookie in her mouth, giving her a few chance seconds to not have to talk to the other girl.

Mir still watched her like a hawk, eyes narrowed and observant, but her demeanor caring. Reaching a hand over towards Lacus' face, the short haired girl meant to brush some bangs from the other's forehead, but Lacus flinched and squirmed as though wishing to move away.

Still, Mir's fingers had moved the pale rose locks and in the corner of Lacus' forehead was the remains of a large, painful bruise.

"Sorry for making you worry so much, Milly," Lacus finally squeaked out, her hands gripping her skirt tightly to stop the shaking.

Another hand covered hers, and Miriallia pressed her forehead to Lacus' shoulder, her aqua eyes closed. She squeezed Lacus' thin hand tightly.

"It's okay, really…" she said quietly, loud enough for the other to hear, "I…just really hate to be left behind…"

"Milly…?" Lacus whispered, misty confusion crossing her eyes.

"Don't leave me out, okay?" Milly whispered, voice almost not there, flashes of someone else running through her mind.

Lacus was quiet, and then turned her head to press her lips to Miriallia's hair.

"Okay, Milly. I promise."

**

* * *

**

He shivered, felt another prickling in his nose, and before he could even try to avoid it, Dearka let loose a loud sneeze. Wiping his nose with the back of his hand, he cringed and sighed heavily.

Leaning against his car in nothing but his school uniform and a sports coat, the blonde hadn't expected to be waiting this long. He'd cut school early again and decided to drive down to where he remembered Miriallia's house to be. It was just as unwelcoming and decrepit as he remembered, but it was _her_ house, so it was different.

He'd been waiting on the roadside, his shiny sports car looking even more out of place in the old neighborhood, when a car had pulled up and the Tolle guy stepped out of the driver side, and Katie hopped from the passenger. They skirted him a curious glance, and Katie tugged Tolle's sleeve to whisper something. The tall brunet grinned, ruffled her hair, and carried her school bag for her up to the house and saw her inside.

Returning, he glanced at Dearka neutrally, not at all caring about the less than friendly glare the blonde gave back to him. No words were exchanged, but Tolle's smug face when he went inside his own warm home was enough. Dearka hated him even more.

That had been nearly an hour ago, and the tan young man was considering that maybe, just maybe, he'd drive home now. But every time the thought was considered, he recalled Miriallia's gloomy look the past few days, and the twinge in his twisted insides made him stay.

She hadn't been with Tolle the past few days at school, he only drove Katie. Miriallia was alone, she didn't smell like him.

That had to mean something, right?

Something bad…but also something good?

Maybe…just maybe…

He shivered again and rubbed his arms. His fingers felt frozen and it hurt to move his hands. With a miserable breath, he sneezed again.

**

* * *

**

Hard packed snow and ice smashed into his face and Shinn was so stunned he fell over to the snow covered ground.

Ahmed hooted loudly and chucked a snowball at the fallen boy, hitting his shoulder. Shinn got up, sour faced and glaring, and his dark gaze met with Cagalli's. She stood not far off, still and foreboding, her bare hands dripping with snow, and a blank look on her face.

He growled and muttered a curse under his breath, but was suddenly tackled back to the snowy ground by a giggling Mayu. Unable to hold his anger, he couldn't help smiling at her.

"That was a hard hit, Cagalli," Stellar murmured, giving the other blonde a worried look.

Cagalli shrugged silently and bent down to scoop more snow into her hands. This time she didn't take aim at a person, but rather the side of Shinn's house and sent the snowball flying right into the siding where it shattered in a cloud of snow flurries.

Stellar was considering trying to talk to her, but Ahmed came after her with some misshapen snowballs and she shrieked happily and began running in the opposite direction.

She would just have to talk to Cagalli later…that is…if she would let her.

Ever since a few days ago when Cagalli had shown up at school with a bruise on her face, she'd not spoken much about herself. She claimed the bruise was from a fall she took in the kitchen against the table, and said nothing of her brother. She walked ahead of her brother in the mornings and didn't speak a word to him either. Stellar was worried, but there really was nothing she could do, Cagalli was never really into talking much about herself as it was. Stellar had wanted to bring up the Yamato name that man had addressed Kira with, but she'd lost the nerve.

After school, they'd all gone to Shinn's house since he mentioned his little sister was with him and his mom for the day and she wanted to see everyone again. Katie had politely declined and said she had to be getting home early that day anyway, and some guy they'd seen Miriallia with a few days ago showed up to pick her up.

She hadn't looked much better than the morning she broke down, and Stellar was suspecting she was still sick, or something else had to be up. At least she had been able to have the small study sessions with her, and Cagalli had even come along with them as planned. It seemed though that Katie just wasn't interested in any of it, even though she did certainly try.

But the pale haired girl was suspecting that it was more for Stellar's sake than her own…and that worried her.

Running from Ahmed, Stellar didn't realize Mayu was watching her and suddenly a snowball hit her square in the chest and startled her enough to stop her in her tracks. Ahmed was able to catch up and wailed a few snowballs at her, only one hitting her back. But the blonde didn't care in the least, she was still surprised at the dark look Mayu sent her way before the little girl darted off back to her brother's side.

"Hey kids, come inside and warm up!" Shinn's mother called from the porch, smiling out at them. "I have hot chocolate and cookies!"

It was agreed the snowball fight would resume after food, and the teenagers began heading back to the house. Stellar glanced over to see Cagalli send one more snowball straight into the siding once more, and only then did the girl turn to head to the house, a miserable look on her face for all of a few moments before she shook it away.

"Man, Shinn, your mom is awesome! Like hell my dad would ever mess with cookies and junk," the dark skinned boy said laughing. Mayu giggled charmingly and gripped her brother's hand as they walked up the porch steps.

"Mom really is great! She's my favorite!" the girl chimed, and Shinn chanced a glance at her smiling face.

Looking away, he decided he didn't want to think too much about what she'd meant.

**

* * *

**

The hotel suite was spacious and eloquently decorated with fine furniture, dotted with tasteful flower arrangements and knick knacks that gave the space a homey feel.

It felt like home to Via, and she was thankful for that. This entire expedition was not going to her plans and it was making her miserable. Walking, or rather pacing, around furniture on the plush carpets in circles, wringing her hands, the woman sighed and stood still for a few moments.

Collapsing on one of the antique overstuffed couches, she clutched an exquisitely embroidered pillow to her chest. She hadn't yet showered that morning, and was still dressed in rumpled silk pajamas. After the incident with Kira in the shopping district, she'd wanted to go after him, but Alaire had dissuaded her.

Now, days later, she was miserable and anxious and surely would sprout gray hairs and wrinkles any moment from all of her worry. He'd told her to wait, and she had been waiting. She'd been waiting for years, she didn't want to wait any longer.

But still…Alaire knew how to do these things, he'd assured her. He knew how to work people, and apparently he know how to work Via Hibiki because despite every bone in her body telling her to act now, she was staying put.

A knock on the suite door alerted her to company, and the click of a key card sounded before the door was opened and Alaire stepped inside, carrying a plastic bag she could only hope was not detestable fast food. She could very well order room service for him; she hated the smell of greasy food.

"Alaire," she greeted tiredly, despite having slept the entire morning.

The man nodded to her and set down the bag. The scent of Chinese food wafted from inside and Via crinkled her nose. He unwound a thick scarf from around his neck and placed it over the back of an overstuffed chair, then did the same with his overcoat. Sitting himself down, he reached for his bag and opened one of the white cartons before snapping cheap chopsticks apart.

"So I think we may be able to try again," he finally said, popping a round dumpling into his mouth.

Via stared at him with wide eyes as though entranced, and patiently waited for him to finish chewing. Dabbing his mouth with a napkin after swallowing, Alaire grinned at the woman.

"He hasn't seemed to have changed his schedule any since the café incident, though he has stayed later after school. But do you recall the girl I mentioned was with him?"

Via took a moment to think, and brightened, nodding enthusiastically. "Yes, long hair, thin and pretty?" she asked.

"She's returned to school, and he's been with her most the day. I suspect he'll return to walking her home, I could meet with him once he's separated from her."

Via smiled prettily and ran her fingers through her messy long hair. A look of pure relief and joy had crossed her face at the prospect of meeting with Kira again. But a serious look crossed her features.

"I should choose a more secluded location, somewhere he can't run from so easily, more private…" she suggested, looking to her detective for assurance.

Alaire shook his head.

"Bad idea, Via. He's a kid, and he's skittish and suspicious. A second meeting won't happen if he feels threatened. Need to keep it public and open." the man explained, feeling unexplainable guilt to see her expression falling.

Via looked disappointed but nodded her understanding.

"Good," Alaire said, grinning around a mouthful of chicken. He swallowed and licked his lips. "Maybe we should go out to dinner tonight, to get you into better spirits? I'm sure a nice restaurant will be more pleasurable than room service again."

Via cast a disapproving look to the Chinese and looked back to the detective and nodded her consent with another pretty smile.

"You're absolutely right. I'll go pamper myself with a bath, then," she said as she stood, walking towards the bedroom of the suite to collect clothes for the night, "We'll do dinner at, say, seven?" she called and Alaire called back to tell her that was fine.

In her elation, Via thoughtfully chose a silk blouse whose shade of violet reminded her of Kira's eyes, and a black layered skirt. On her way to the bathroom to draw her bath, she affectionately traced her fingertip across the glass of a picture frame she'd placed on the nightstand.

The picture was old, discolored, a bit torn from being folded and unfolded so many times, and Via had concernedly placed it in the small frame in hopes to preserve it. The small child inside the frame was dressed in Christmas attire and wore a silly elf hat, and in his arms was a little girl.

Soon, Via told herself, soon she too would have adorable family photos just like that one to fill albums and books and frames until she suffocated in them.

**

* * *

**

Homework really, really sucked. Athrun was no stranger to this, but with Kira watching him like a hawk, he was getting sick of it faster than usual. Glancing back at the clock, he groaned. There was still plenty of time left. Great.

The quiet of the room was disturbed by a quiet vibration and Kira dug his cell phone out of his bag and flipped it open, his thumb quickly going over the number pad to reply to a text message. A small smile tugged on his lips, and he flipped the phone shut and placed it on the desk, as though expecting a reply soon.

Athrun rolled his eyes, it had to be the Clyne girl.

"What's with her?" Athrun asked after a few moments, his utter boredom bringing him to bother with conversation.

"Who?" Kira asked levelly, eyes narrow.

"Chill, I meant your girlfriend. Why her? Yeah, she's pretty, but she's quiet, boring, and seems clingy." Athrun drawled, examining his knuckles absently.

Kira was silent a few moments, and Athrun glanced up to find an unamused brunet. Before he could do or say anything, Kira stuck his foot out and around one of the legs of Athrun's chair and yanked, knocking the chair and the student sitting on it right over.

Lips twitching in dark amusement, Kira glared at the downed Athrun who was beginning to really dislike this new Kira…and yet he couldn't make himself angry anymore.

"The hell's your problem?" he hissed anyways, and Kira leaned back in his seat.

"You don't know her; you don't say a thing about her." Kira said shortly, and Athrun rolled his eyes again…but didn't say another word about the girl.

A few moments of quiet, and Kira sighed quietly, glancing out the window.

"She has pretty eyes…" he said finally, but didn't turn his head.

"Hm?" Athrun looked up at him, green eyes piqued with semi-interest.

"…and she can sing."

"Her? With that quiet little voice of hers?" Athrun asked with just a tad too much incredulity.

Kira nodded slowly, watching snow melt and drip down the windowpane outside. He wanted to take Lacus to their park again…today…He really wanted to see if he could get her to sing again.

Athrun didn't speak again, just watched the other for a few moments, and then turned back to his work. He wasn't getting anywhere, he didn't want to think about the subjects at hand…and yet there was all this time stuck here…Glancing down at his school bag hanging on the hook of the desk, the dark haired boy reached inside and pulled out a thick book which he plopped on the desk top.

Flipping it open, examining a few pages, tucking reference photos and magazine clippings back in among the pages, he finally reached the page he was looking for and searched for his pencil case. He was using a specific sepia ink pen for the drawing, and he had to use the exact same pen.

Pulling off the cap with his teeth, Athrun stared at a reference photo and the page, glaring critically at it before continuing the work as though he'd never stopped.

Hearing noise, Kira glanced back at Athrun to see the other furiously scribbling over an open book. Curiosity got him to move closer to inspect it, and when he saw what it was the brunet was certainly surprised.

The tree, though unfinished, was already amazing. There was no pencil work on the page; Athrun was just working with the pen. It looked better than the photo.

"I didn't know you could draw." Kira commented quietly. Athrun paused for only a moment, then continued.

"I didn't know you had any guts. Guess we're even."

Kira pursed his lips and sat back in his seat, glancing at his cell phone a second before it vibrated. A heavy silence fell over them again, but it was not as bad as it had been before. Gazing at the other for a moment, Kira looked away yet again to reply to Lacus' message. He did not see Athrun glance at him from the corner of his eye.

They had been enemies a few days ago. Now that they weren't, they didn't know what they were. They certainly weren't friends…but…and not that they would ever admit it…

That didn't change the fact that they felt comfortable in the other's presence.

The silence was heavy, but it was not impermeable.

**

* * *

**

Lacus grinned and tucked her phone away once again, much to Miriallia's annoyance. She didn't really care that Lacus was texting Kira, but she was still mad at Kira and she was good at a grudge.

"Lacus, pay attention would you? You told me you wanted the help with math," the short haired girl sighed, her lips pulled into a no nonsense frown.

"I'm sorry, Milly," the girl replied, a bit of coloring doting her cheeks. A few girls from her home ec class who were close enough to hear giggled, knowing perfectly well who Lacus was messaging.

"Did something happen between you and Kira?" the long haired girl finally asked after a moment's hesitation. A worried look marred her face, and Miriallia felt bad, as though her mood had caused Lacus to worry…

_Even though it's all Kira's fault_…Mir stabbed in her head childishly. She refused to put the blame on Lacus, even though it could be argued she and Kira were equally to blame for Miriallia's lack of knowing what was going on the past few days.

"Not…really…" Mir stumbled, not wanting to meet Lacus' baby blue gaze.

"Please tell me, even if it was something small? Kira hasn't mentioned anything, and you look upset, Miriallia," Lacus pleaded.

"It's just…you and Kira can get so…I dunno…" Miriallia's voice dropped to a whisper, causing Lacus to have to lean closer to hear. She became tense and squirmed a bit when one of Mir's hands moved to lightly hold Lacus' wrist, the same one Mir had seen bleeding all those months ago.

"You both go off in your own little world sometimes, you're both so secretive and withdrawn from me…" Mir's expression did nothing to soothe Lacus' worry, so she stood from the desk, grabbing her friend's arm.

"Come on, let's go somewhere to talk?" she suggested, and Mir stared at her for a moment before hesitantly nodding.

Outside of the classroom, it was quieter and more private already, but Lacus didn't stop until they were far away, and found a windowed wall that overlooked a small courtyard one of the science classes used for botany experiments. Lacus let go of Mir, who crossed her arms and leant back against the thick window. The glass was really cold.

Lacus waited a few moments, wondering if Mir would start talking, but she didn't.

"I'm sorry, if you feel like we leave you out," Lacus said softly, genuinely understanding and feeling guilty.

Mir glanced up, feeling bad for bringing it up in the first place. They were together, that certainly gave them grounds for being so separate from her…but they never told her anything. It's like her entire world was being pulled out from beneath her, and no one told her anything anymore.

Katie, Tolle, Kira, and Lacus…and somewhere deep in the back of her mind she remembered the totally neutral and blank look Dearka had given her in class before. Everything she did or didn't want was a mess.

"I'm just overreacting; don't worry about it, okay? I'm sorry that I ended up making you worry," the auburn haired girl confessed, looking up to see Lacus standing just an arm's length away.

"Milly," Lacus whispered, eyes conflicted, lips trembling. Her pale hands reached for Miriallia's, and gripped her tightly.

"Hey," the girl began, trying to smile.

"I know it's not fair leaving you out of some things, you're too good a friend to not know some things…but…" Lacus lifted the other girl's hand close to her chin.

"But…you shouldn't know some things, okay? It's easier for you, better even. It's not fair to make you worry," the pale girl explained, stumbling over her own words. When she looked up at Mir, a hopeful, troubled look was on her face, but she paled –if that was even possible – seeing Mir's face. The other girl's hand was ripped from hers.

"What is it…with _you_ and _him_…_everyone_…" Mir hissed, her lips trembling and shoulders shaking, "thinking that it's better to just tell _me_ nothing!" she cried bitterly, gritting her teeth, remembering Kira's words.

Lacus flinched and her face crumbled.

"If you care about someone you should be able to talk to them, turn to them for help. No one asks me for anything, but you all need fucking help." Miriallia hissed, glaring at the floor, her hands shaking.

"_I need help_," she muttered, bringing a hand to her face to cover her eyes.

"I'm sorry!"

Mir glanced at Lacus through a break in her fingers, seeing a dark, angry look on Lacus' face. But the anger was mixed with sadness and guilt and helplessness…and color stained the pale girl's cheeks.

Breath lost, pain inching through her chest and head, Lacus felt her knees tremble under her weight. Miriallia was hurting…and Lacus understood why…But she couldn't bear to drop her problems on her, she didn't even want to tell Kira. But Milly…was crying…

A weight pressed against her, and Miriallia stood frozen in uncertainty as Lacus' arms wrapped around her, the girl burying her face in her friend's shoulder. They didn't speak, neither knew what they could possibly say.

"_I can't tell you…I can't tell you…I can't tell you…_" Lacus mouthed into the girl's shoulder, unable to bring her voice up to sound it.

Miriallia shuddered, and finally released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She suddenly felt empty, lethargic, she'd finally said what she'd been bottling up for so long…and now there was nothing. Giving a helpless mile to the ceiling tiles, her hand dropped from her eyes and fell atop Lacus' head.

Her hair was so soft…like Katie's…

And because Katie _wasn't_ there, Tolle _wasn't_ there, and Kira _wasn't_ there, Miriallia embraced Lacus, clutching her close.

Because _she_ _was_.

**

* * *

**

Every so often, the curtains in the front window of the house would move. Dearka was certain of it.

And each time he wondered why. Did he seem suspicious? Probably. But he'd been there for over an hour, standing there, doing nothing, freezing his ass off. Did he seem to be an entertaining spectacle because of it? Most likely.

He didn't know who else lived with Miriallia, but he was guessing it was the younger girl, Katie. He didn't really know her, Miriallia really hadn't let him get the chance.

Whenever he'd stuck around after school weeks before, hoping to catch a word with the short haired girl, he'd often seen Katie waiting for her sister with Kira's sibling. He'd got about as far as a casual 'Hello' before Mir appeared, ready to lead Katie off and fix him with a dark glare. Kira and Lacus had offered worried grins, not really sure how to appease either party, and simply let it be.

Dearka was at least thankful for the small group…even if he just seemed to have more enemies than allies. The fallout with Athrun hadn't gotten any better, and Yzak clearly still wasn't talking to him. Thanks to his time spent being a right out asshat to the student population, his ass covered by Athrun's standing and Yzak's reputation, now that he was kicked out of the nest everyone wanted a piece.

Just the other morning, a girl with thick glasses and fucking braids had tripped him. He hadn't even seen her until he was already down on the ground and she was walking away, pleased. And then he vaguely remembered making fun of a girl awhile back for having too big glasses and braces.

The braces had done her well…she still needed new glasses frames.

Shaking his head, clearing his thoughts of the oh so pleasant memory, the blonde brought his hands up to his face, breathing on them rather uselessly. It seemed even his breath was cold. Fabulous. He really shouldn't use that word…

Closing his eyes, the tan teen leaned back against his car, furrowing his brow and growling something unintelligible. The last thing he needed was to spend all this time thinking. He didn't like thinking, hated where it led to.

Feeling another sneeze coming on, he braced himself and scowled. He hated the cold, too.

The sound of a door opening and slamming shut drew his attention back towards the house, and he watched with interest when the small form of Katie walked slowly but surely down the driveway. She was bundled up in a heavy jacket a few sizes too large, ear muffs, furry boots, a scarf, and fuzzy mittens. An added measure was a thick, pale orange muffler draped loosely over her shoulders and around her neck.

Dearka felt as though his fingers would break off like icicles just looking at her.

When she was close enough, he nodded stiffly towards her, unable to wave his fingers for obvious reasons. She didn't seem to mind and quietly rocked back on the balls and heels of her feet. It was then Dearka realized she was holding a thermos, and it appeared to be steaming.

Thinking in the back of his mind that Katie must have gotten all the sweetness Miriallia seemed to lack, he was ready to sing praises for the younger girl…

Until she sipped from it contentedly and made a satisfied sound after licking her lips.

"Have you ever had raspberry tea?" she asked, and Dearka stiffly shook his head.

"Oh, that's too bad." she said, almost smugly, but the blonde knew he'd never be able to prove it.

They stood in silence some more, and Dearka found himself almost a little…disturbed…by Katie's wide eyed stare.

She was pale as the snow, ashen looking, with dark rings under her eyes. But her eyes were still just as vibrant and bright as her sister's. They were locked on him with a curious interest, and Dearka couldn't help wondering how Miriallia would look if she stared at him like that.

"You don't look weirded out." Katie noted, sipping from her thermos again.

"What?"

"I don't freak you out…?" Katie ventured, tilting her head to the side.

Dearka stared at her for a moment, taking in the sunken cheeks, tired lids…how skinny her legs looked from above the boots and underneath the coat hem. How no matter how many layers she wore she wouldn't look normal.

"No…" he said, and then he closed his eyes, swallowing, "…yeah…"

"At least you're kind of honest." she shrugged, looked pleased.

"Your friends don't know, do they?" he ventured quietly.

"No…I mean, I kinda wish they did, but I like that they don't. It would just be more annoying…Milly never let me forget." Katie confessed, looking a little sheepish.

"It's pretty scary, though, isn't it?" Dearka asked, and then he wanted to kick himself for it.

"Yeah…" Katie sighed, her voice trailing off as she glanced down the road, looking for nothing in particular.

"Y'know what else is scary, all the homework I have to do for missing so much school…" she said with a laugh. Dearka stared at her wide eyed. "I don't want to do any of it, it's too hard…such a waste of time…But my friends want to help me, don't want to let my report card look bad." a dark grin lit Katie's lips.

"Wish my friends cared about me like that," Dearka mused, grinning stiffly. He wasn't just cold from the weather, now.

"It's not going to matter," Katie chuckled, shrugging. "I'd rather watch TV all day, or read, or eat lobster or something…"

"You like lobster, huh?"

"No, actually. I'm allergic to it. And I hate fish."

"Lobster's not a fish." Dearka smirked, then sucked in his lips to make one of the most ridiculous fish faces Katie had ever seen.

"Close enough," Katie giggled.

A short silence passed between them, and Katie slurped her tea loudly. The blonde grinned.

"Not very lady like,"

"You're not much of a gentleman, either." Katie quipped, looking to him with cat-like eyes and a smug smirk.

Dearka quirked a golden brow.

"Really now? And how would you know?"

"Milly said. She calls you a pervert and an idiot and a jerk and a bunch of other things," Katie noted casually with glee. Dearka looked bemused.

"She said that…I'm not really surprised…"

Katie waited another moment, and then sighed, kicking at a hardened clump of snow stuck to the driveway.

"Okay I lied. She doesn't talk about you that much, and really only called you names a few times…" the girl confessed, and though he didn't show it, Dearka's surprise made something in his chest leap.

"It's not nice to lie."

"It's not nice to punch someone in the face."

Dearka was silent after that, shame written over his face. Katie seemed appeased by his reaction, and took in a breath.

"She wasn't always so mean, you know…not to everyone, anyway," she added with a sideways glance towards him. "She hates change, never liked Mom's boyfriends…until Ray, anyway…and she used to date Tolle but they got into a lot of fights and broke up. Said he did stupid things," Katie added.

"She's nice enough to Kira and Lacus…" Dearka noted, feeling a bit anxious, or excited. Something he could figure out about Miriallia, something she herself clearly was not ever going to tell him.

"She likes them, they're nice," Katie pointed out, lifting a thin eyebrow at him, "I'm glad she has them, they'll be good for her…"

That was odd.

"What do you mean? They're already there for her…" the young man murmured, eyes narrowing. He thought he knew where this was going. He didn't like it.

"It'll be different when they're all she has." Katie said with another shrug, face a mask. She took another loud sip from her thermos.

Dearka crossed his arms, shivered a little. It was morbid…surreal even, to be talking to a girl younger than him about death. He hated the acrid taste it put in his mouth.

Katie looked him over, and benignly held out her thermos.

"Here, want some?" she asked, smiling.

Dearka smirked and shook his head. "No way, ever heard of an indirect kiss?"

Katie scrunched her face. "Gross, I'd never kiss you. Do you like standing there freezing?" she asked.

With a heavy heart, Dearka reached over to take the thermos, which Katie nudged towards him. But under her watchful eye, he unscrewed the top, and went to sip from the edge while grinning at her.

When the pleasantly hot liquid met his lips and then tongue, it took him a moment to comprehend the taste. Meaning to swallow like a man, but unable to do so, Dearka spat the small mouthful of salt water into the snow. Glaring at the thermos wide eyed, the blonde looked immediately to Katie, who looked pleasantly entertained.

"The hell you drinking this for!" he demanded, handing it back to her with the top loosely capped on it.

"I can't stomach much of anything, even just tea…I figured if I went crazy from dehydration it'd be a little more fun," she explained, smiling as she poured the hot, salty concoction into the snow.

"It's not that bad once you get used to it." she added, smirking.

Before Dearka could retort, the small girl's face twisted into a pained expression and she dropped her thermos, bringing her gloved hands up to her mouth. Eyes wide and a little frightened, she wobbled on her legs and nearly toppled to the snow, but Dearka caught her shoulders and helped her slowly to her knees.

It was just in time, too, because the next second she was heaving right there onto the snow. It wasn't much, mostly clear liquid, and though it was certainly not on his list of things to watch, Dearka fearlessly knelt beside her and pulled back her hair from her face with his icy fingers.

"C-cold!" she garbled in protest, before coughing and heaving again. She lifted a hand to swat him away, but the glove covered fingers merely latched onto his arm and clutched him tightly.

Dearka didn't care, and waited until she was done, and then scooped up clean snow and held it out to her. She stared at it blankly for a moment, spat in an unladylike manner, and then grabbed at it, glove and all, and wiped her lips and chin. He'd been to enough parties, he knew a few tips on the worst things.

He gently tucked her short hair behind her ears and looked over her face, noting nothing unwanted seemed to be clinging to her lips. She shook for a moment, and her eyes finally met his. His throat constricted, and he felt as though his insides were dry. She began to open her mouth to speak.

Before either of them could say anything, Tolle was rushing out of his house, hurrying towards them.

"Katie!" he growled, but his ferocity was in concern. He scooped the girl up in his arms, and easily carried her back to the house. From over his shoulder, Katie glanced back to Dearka, who stood silently from the snow. Her thermos was forgotten in the ice.

Rubbing his arms, Dearka went back to his car. Staring at the door handle, he considered going home. He…didn't think he could stay there anymore that day. But he was frozen stiff. Her eyes…had been…frightened…resigned. The stupid books he'd read from the library hadn't covered this.

"Hey, wait."

Dearka stiffened at the sound of Tolle's voice, and he was a bit surprised by how quickly the other had come back out. Nonetheless, he turned to face him, and realized he was carrying something. The pale orange muffler Katie had been wearing.

When Tolle reached the blonde, the curly haired boy hesitated a moment, and then handed over the muffler.

"Don't know why, really…But she said to give this to you." Tolle's pale blue eyes flashed to Dearka's violet gaze, and the blonde slowly reached out for it.

The material was soft and warm, gentle and smooth against his frozen fingertips. He dug his fingers into it, and with both hands he held it close to his chest, not really knowing what to do with it.

"…Thanks." he murmured after a bit, and Tolle nodded.

Just as he was turning around, he stopped, looking up at the house's front window. The curtains moved, and Tolle shook his head, chuckled quietly.

"There was one more thing," he added, glancing back at Dearka, "she said you were good, too…whatever that's supposed to mean," the brunet said, shrugging. He didn't stick around long, and on his way back up to the house, he scooped up the thermos and cap from the ground.

Dearka stood frozen for a few moments, going over her words, fingering the muffler. After a few moments, his lips began to pull into a grin, and he lifted the scarf to his face. Breathing in, he caught a light scent, something…floral…or something. It didn't matter, really…because he immediately thought of Miriallia and that was fine.

With sudden determination, Dearka opened his eyes and gripped the muffler tightly. It was decided. He'd go now.

Throwing open the car door, setting the scarf on the passenger seat, Dearka slammed the door shut and started the car. Nearly ramming on the gas, he backed away from the curb and turned onto the road, meaning to head back to the school.

**

* * *

**

"I should be getting back home," Ahmed sighed, gazing longingly back towards the large television and gaming consoles that took residence in Shinn's living room.

"It is getting kind of late," Stellar agreed, leaning back against the couch.

"You're just sore losers," Shinn quipped with a smirk, pressing a few buttons on his game controller. The screen was split four ways, and four different cars were racing on a forested track.

"And you think you're hot stuff?" Cagalli smirked, watching with satisfaction as her own car passed the dark haired boy's around a sharp turn and took the lead.

"Damn…" he cursed, making Mayu giggle at his side.

"I'll tell Mom," she said in a singsong tone, holding her hands out.

Shinn sighed and handed over the controller, allowing the younger girl to take control of his car.

Stellar's car was drawing closer, and for a moment she thought she might be able to pass Shinn's car, but Mayu suddenly spun the car and smashed it against the terrain, the interacting environment bringing down trees that caused Stellar's own car to veer and crash.

Ahmed whooped with amusement, and Cagalli snorted while Shinn bemoaned his score. Stellar wasn't that bothered, she was never really that competitive with games, but she felt something strange prickling in the back of her head. Glancing over to wear Mayu and Shinn sat, her eyes widened, Mayu's garnet stare glaring straight at her.

Swallowing, Stellar blinked, and Mayu was no longer staring at her. That was certainly…disconcerting. Turning her attention back to the television screen, the blonde girl watched her car respawn a few paces back on the track, and meant to accelerate, but a sharp pain in her palm made her drop the controller and make a small sound.

Cagalli immediately looked over to her and Shinn even turned his head, looking ready to get up, but Cagalli dropped her controller and knelt beside Stellar.

"You okay?" she asked, glancing down at the other girl's hands. They were still red, and surely had to be sore. Stellar nodded after hesitating a moment, but Cagalli made her stand up anyways.

"Come on, let's go to the bathroom," the blonde insisted, latching her fingers around the girl's wrist before dragging her away.

The boys watched after them, Ahmed looking a bit concerned, but shrugged it off. Shinn looked far more worried, but Mayu tugged his sleeve and caught his attention back.

"Hey, Shinn, can we start a new race?" she requested, and the dark haired boy couldn't help but nod.

"Let's make it a team race," Ahmed suggested, scooting closer to the Asuka siblings, "Mayu can be on my team, since Shinn sucks and all," he joked, making the girl laugh.

"Har har, real funny," Shinn mused with a sour look. But to Mayu's insistence, he did as Ahmed suggested and started the race.

In the bathroom, Cagalli was watching as Stellar gingerly washed her hands. They hadn't been able to find a cream or balm, but Cagalli had managed to find some clumpy lip balm Stellar had buried in the bottom of her school bag. Deciding to make due with large bandaids and the balm, Cagalli yanked off the cap and began to spread the mostly clear gunk on her friend's palms.

"Ow," Stellar hissed, her hand twitching when Cagalli pressed too hard.

"Sorry," Cagalli murmured, going about the spreading more gently.

A few more moments of silence, and Cagalli paused, causing Stellar to eye her expectantly.

"How did this happen? You never told me…" the blonde inquired, her attention still on her friend's hands.

"I did something stupid…" Stellar shrugged, cringing when the action caused Cagalli to press the wrong way. "Neo burnt some postcards from Mom and Dad…I tried to save them," she admitted, feeling silly recalling it…and feeling empty all over again.

The cards were both charred messes now, just like her family…_How poetic_, she mused satirically.

"…Your parents sent you cards?" Cagalli asked, pausing to look up at Stellar.

Stellar nodded, looking away. The bathroom was small, not much to distract yourself with…

"…at least…they were thinking of you…" the girl added, going back to pressing lip balm to Stellar's burn marks.

A light fluttering filled Stellar's chest, and her lips broke into a bit of a smile while her eyes pricked with moisture. Even though much couldn't have been expected, Cagalli was right, Stellar reasoned, having felt the same way when she first saw the cards. Her parents had to have remembered them, even for just a second, to have grabbed a card and scrawled out a few words and the address.

"…I think I'm done…" Cagalli said, popping the cap back into place as she eyed her friend's hands. "You know…we probably shouldn't have done that," she added, a nervous grin and laugh creeping up to her face.

Stellar nodded, unable to find her voice, her private and pointless elation making her unable to do so. Without any warning, she threw her arms around Cagalli, and held her close.

"Ah, hey, I get it, but…don't get any of that stuff in my hair," Cagalli teased, trying to push Stellar away, despite not putting any force behind the motion.

"Can you walk me home?" Stellar asked, quietly and almost in a whisper. Cagalli easily agreed, patting her friend's back uncomfortably, but smiling nonetheless.

This was easy…almost fun, in a morbid way, to pretend to be someone else around her friends…Cagalli decided this quickly and easily while unknowingly comforting her friend. Kira…Muruta…Lacus…they weren't connected to this, to them, so Cagalli could be someone else, if even for a little while.

**

* * *

**

Her hair was so soft, fell from between each of his fingers, and he couldn't help watching it, entranced. The sunlight was beginning to fade, but it still shone down in the most perfect way, and created a halo around her head in soft light.

A cold nose pressed against his cheek, and soft lips brushed over his skin and he smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders loosely as his hand continued to bunch in her hair. A cold kiss was pressed to his ear, and he grinned, pressing his own lips to the girl's soft hair. It had been so long since they had a true moment alone after the incident a few days ago, Kira was glad to be able to feel her against him again.

Lacus brought up a hand and traced the contours of the brunette's face, her fingertips ghosting over his skin and resting on his lips. Kira's eyes rested on her face when she pulled away from him, and his hand left her hair to grasp her fingers. He pulled her hand away to kiss her fingertips, closing his eyes as he rested his lips against them.

She smiled, and pressed her lips to his knuckles, closing her eyes as well.

Within seconds, their lips gravitated towards one another once more, and they kissed again, sweetly, slowly. Kira gently moved up along her face, kissing her cheek, and then her eyelids. With a soft laugh in his throat, he moved along her pale brow, and then her forehead. Lacus' eyelids fluttered, and her lashes tickled his chin.

"I've missed you," he murmured.

"Me too," she replied, wrapping an arm around his neck, burying her face in his throat. He was so tall…

A few moments of serene silence passed, and Lacus finally pushed away. Kira glanced down at her when she tugged the collar of his jacket, and he noticed a conflicted look in her eyes.

"Kira…you and Milly aren't talking," she stated, staring at his tie, "Why? Did something happen?"

Kira was silent for a few moments, and made to touch her hair, but she turned away from his hand. Glancing up at him, her face was serious. He sighed.

He explained the incident between he and Miriallia a few days ago, and a guilty look flashed over his eyes, but his lips twitched and settled into a tight frown.

"But I couldn't tell her the truth, it's not mine to tell, I wouldn't do that," he said, and Lacus' lips pulled into a feeble smile, her expression conflicted.

"She's hurting, I don't know everything, but I know she's upset and hurt…" she admitted, clutching Kira's jacket tightly between her bony fingers. "We hurt her…"

"So you want to explain to her?" Kira asked quietly, already disliking the idea of Lacus going through that again…and feeling almost possessive…as though if someone else knew, his knowing wouldn't be as important…but that thought itself was ridiculous and mad and he cast it away quickly.

Wasn't he supposed to fighting with her to make her tell people? To make her reveal the truth and to save herself from the pain and darkness she surrounded herself with…to break the torturous masochistic chain…

"I don't…know…" Lacus muttered, "Will I look weak to her? Will she be disgusted with me? What will…she do?" the pale girl muttered, feeling naked.

Kira's arms were around her protectively, and her buried his face in the top of her hair.

"She's Miriallia…" he admitted, and Lacus nodded. This long, painful game was almost over. With each person, she'd eventually heal the cracks, right? Right…that's how it worked…that's how things would work themselves out…

"Kira?" Lacus whispered, and pulled back to look up at him.

He gazed down at her, and smiled assuredly, his arms tightening around her.

She stood up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips, and with no words, she thanked him.

In the abandoned midst of their park, old structures and weedy grass blanketed in a thin layer of snow, the distant sound of the bay waters lapping at the bottom of the hillside's cliff, they stood still as statues in one another's warmth.

Pressing his nose to her forehead, Kira breathed in her scent, and his knuckled traced the side of her face contentedly. His eyes were closed, but hers weren't, and she was staring absently, enjoying the gentle touch. He was being careful of the remains of her bruise, and hadn't hurt her once.

"Lacus…?"

"Mm?" she hummed, eyes half lidded, lips chapped already from the cold air.

"Um, could you…sing again, for me?" he asked shyly, hesitantly, and a light and airy laugh filled the air around him.

"Alright…because you asked so nicely," she said, giving in easily.

She took in a breath of the chilled, clear air and filled her chest, and then her voice rose and she began to sing. The words didn't even matter, sometimes they dipped into nothing but sounds, yet Kira didn't mind.

Her voice cradled him, and stilled his stirring thoughts, her body beside his warmed the inches that felt fingers of cold ghost over.

"Beautiful…" he whispered, and she closed her eyes and continued to sing.

**

* * *

**

The café wasn't exactly on the way to home, but Miriallia realized after several minutes of walking that she definitely wasn't heading home. Somehow she'd ended up here, and she was making the most of it. She'd ordered something from the menu, not really paying much attention, and took her steaming drink back with her to a table by one of the large bay windows.

She didn't spend much time walking around Red Shoals, but she was familiar with her location, enough to know she wasn't lost, anyway.

Sipping her drink, she was pleasantly surprised to taste vanilla and caramel, mixed with a strong blend of coffee she hadn't had before. It was delicious, and most importantly, it was warm.

Not one for people watching, she grew tired of seeing students, some in her own uniform, some in others, strolling outside on the sidewalks, along with some adults. Housewives getting late afternoon groceries, probably ingredients for dinner, men leaving work, going out with colleagues…Everyone had somewhere to go.

Glancing over at the patrons in the café, Miriallia noted that it wasn't quite filled yet, not exactly busy. It was probably nice, though, not having to stress but still having service. At least whenever she was working she preferred a happy median between slow and packed.

Something certainly did stand out to her, though, and it was a head of blue raven hair. Athrun Zala was sitting alone at a table, sipping something from a Styrofoam cup while bent over and open book…scratching out something with a pen.

She didn't know exactly what was going on, since she wasn't speaking with Kira still, but Mir had seen the two together, at least after school. They always went to the same empty classroom she knew was one used for detentions. She'd heard about a fight, and though she'd initially been worried for Kira, she held off breaking her cold shoulder when she saw he had no broken bones and looked just fine…save for the dark look that haunted his eyes for the past few days…

Of course seeing Lacus that morning had wiped every trace of that away, but still…It was Athrun Zala…

And for some reason, Miriallia just couldn't pull up the ability to care.

Sipping her coffee, she huddled in her chair and tried to lock her thoughts away. Those precious minutes with Lacus had been torturous, over too quickly, falling upon her too suddenly. But…at least she'd finally said something, and it seemed to have made a difference…if even a small one.

**

* * *

**

The restaurant was classy without being too extravagant, which was certainly a pleasantry for where it was in the city. A gentle color scheme of crimson and gold was employed from the walls to the floors to the decorations and furniture, warming to the heart and appetizing to the stomach. Even a high quality restaurant resorted to color psychology.

Small and large flower arrangements were littered about the place in delicate vases and basins. On the tables a stylish and small centerpiece was placed with an arrangement of flowers. Via was currently fingering one with interest whilst ignoring her menu.

"Aren't they divine, Alaire?" she asked, her fingertip rubbing along the velvety surface of a violet colored petal.

The young man took a glance at the arrangement to humor his employer and he gave a nod. The flowers were small but the colors were vivid. Violet mixed with orange and yellow for contrast, and the greenery surrounding them was delicate and didn't steal the eye but complemented the flowers. He knew Via had a particular interest in the flora, as she had her own business arranging flowers.

Of course, it was more of a hobby to her. Alaire had guessed she'd never worked a day in her life, and the boredom of living off of her divorce settlement for the past few years had driven her to seek fulfillment elsewhere, and that had brought her to flowers. She often worked at weddings and other such affairs, and it brought in a surprising income, not that she needed it.

Though she'd contacted his senior and mentor detective some years ago, when she was still married to her husband. She'd met with him discreetly, and Alaire had been privy to those intense, emotional meetings. Unfortunately, the older man was not able to continue with the case, and upon retirement passed it along to his apprentice, along with the recently divorced client Via Hibiki who chose to keep her ex-husband's name.

"For social purposes?" he'd asked her in good humor when they went out to celebrate their now working together and her apparent freedom.

"For safety," she'd replied cryptically.

Now, several years later, and she was so close to her goal. Just as beautiful as she'd been before, though aging a bit from stress as of late, a new light seemed to have lit her eyes. Her long auburn hair was swept back in a loose up-do, and she'd slipped in a pearled barrette. Matching pearl earrings were in her ears, and two strings of small pearls were draped around her neck. She never wore heavy makeup, and tonight was no exception.

When Alaire had first seen her, and then the few old and worn photographs she'd had when she first came to his boss, he'd easily seen a resemblance. Even now, after seeing her and him, he had no doubts. He knew this long case was almost complete, properly righteous.

"So what were you planning to order?" he asked, glancing at the long, elegant menu.

"I am not quite sure yet…" she murmured, attention drawn back to the long lists of entrees and appetizers. A small smile rose to her lips, "I wonder what he likes? I should take us out once he's more familiar with me," she suggested, and Alaire nodded absently.

He honestly should have been a bit more strict with her, laid it down that she can't just jump into things with him, that it never worked that way…but seeing her so happy after so long, so many broken leads, so much grief…

"I heard they have wonderful Chicken Cordon Bleu," he noted, and Via smiled at him.

A waitress approached then, dressed nicely in a white dress shirt, black pants, and burgundy waist apron with detailed black embroidery. She carried a bottle of red wine Alaire had asked for and offered to pour their glasses.

After asking for their orders, the waitress smiled in a friendly manner.

"May I bring you both an appetizer dish? We have a delicious seasoned and sliced pepper array in a honey sauce as our special tonight," she suggested.

"That would be lovely," Via said with a smile as the girl took their menus and retreated.

Alaire went to sip his wine, but he stopped when Via glanced at him, grinning. She held up her glass to him, and he chuckled, reaching over to clink glasses with her.

"What's the toast for?" he asked, and her lips pulled up in the corners.

"A little victory."

A few tables away from the celebrating pair, a young man and his father sat, silently picking at their meals.

"How's school?" the man asked his son, looking up over the table.

"It's fine." Yzak replied curtly.

His father nodded, glancing back to his plate.

"Ezaria is out of the hospital?" the man asked, trying to ignite the conversation. Yzak's expression soured and he glared at the tabletop.

"With Elijah, of course," the platinum haired teen answered, taking dark glee in the tight look in his father's face.

Alphonse Duel was a quiet man of good lucks and dark features, happy to stand back and let his glitzy wife Ezaria lead her political crusades, manage her campaigns, make her speeches for the issues…Her raving success allowed him to sit back and manage his business. They kept their separate names, having grown into success under them, and not wishing to change either of them. He'd easily allowed for his son to take his mother's name. But after one child, she seemed to lose interest in him and began seeking out younger men to satisfy her insatiable tastes.

He'd tried to remedy things, for their child's sake, but both led busy lives and Yzak was left to a series of nannies and sporadic appearances of his parents. Ezaria had been pregnant twice in the past decade, and both had been miscarriages. This last one seemed to have taken a cruel toll on her, and she had yet to speak to her estranged husband or neglected son.

"You can stay with me, if you would like," his father offered, but Yzak's expression was enough answer to that.

"Just another empty room, isn't it?" he stabbed, and Alphonse quieted.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, their waiter returning twice, offering quietly to refill their glasses, bring them dessert, but both times he was waved away. Finally, the dark haired man set down his silverware, and dabbed an embroidered napkin to his mouth.

"Yzak…" he began, resting his hands folded on the table, "I will be moving soon."

"Really? The penthouse too small for you now?" the blue eyed boy asked fiercely.

"Our branch in Junius City is growing quickly, I decided to oversee it myself." he explained, adjusting his glasses. "I'd like…you to come with me."

Yzak stared at his father for a moment, and then smirked.

"No thanks." His father sighed, looking a little disheartened.

"Yzak, there is not exactly much room open for discussion on this matter," he confessed, "The truth of the matter is that your mother and I have decided to…file for a divorce."

That caught the pale boy's attention.

"So? I'm not a little kid, I'll be an adult soon, custody battles would be useless and pointless," he began to ramble, but his voice died off, catching another odd look in his father's eyes.

"Yzak, your mother's lawyer relayed that she feels it would be best for you to come stay with me," he admitted.

They didn't say another word, Alphonse couldn't bare it, seeing his son's expression. Yzak himself was frozen in place, hands shaking, barely, his heart pounding in his throat.

_What the hell was that supposed to mean?_

**

* * *

**

"Hey Mom, Mayu, you guys coming? I'm not waiting anymore," Shinn called from the living room.

Mayu skipped in, holding a deep bowl half filled with popcorn, recently refilled with M&Ms and sprinkled with some more salt. Their mother followed behind her, and settled herself on the couch between the two of them.

Shinn sighed, smiling, and pressed PLAY on the remote to resume the movie they were watching.

After Cagalli and Stellar left, Ahmed didn't wait long, either. He lost a race or two, endured giggly insults from Mayu, and finally got up to leave. Shinn and Mayu spent their time playing games, and then their mother came in with a few movies and the idea to eat junk food for dinner. Mayu was ecstatic.

The first movie wasn't all too long, and they'd immediately started the second. About halfway through, they stopped to refill on snacks. It was getting a bit late, and the movie was drawing to its end.

Mayu picked around the popcorn to snip out the chocolate candy, grinning happily when her mother tapped the back of her hand or Shinn threw a Twizzler at her.

Just as the credits began to roll, a knock came at the door, and their mother sighed, getting up to answer it. Another impatient knock followed it, and the woman called that she was coming. Shinn and Mayu wandered out of the living room to see what was up, but both looked crestfallen when they saw who it was.

Their father stood in the doorway, looking peeved. He gave a cursory glance to his estranged wife, and then looked to his children. Bringing up a bit of a smile, he waved to them, and gestured to Mayu.

"How about a hug for your Daddy, huh? I missed you," he chimed, and Mayu grinned and ran to him, giving him a girlish hug around his waist.

"We had a lot of fun today! I love coming to Mom's!" she exclaimed, letting go to run back to Shinn. She grabbed for his hand, and gave him an odd look, and then began pulling him towards the stairway.

"Mayu, don't run off, we're leaving," their father spoke up, but their mother caught his attention.

"Don't you think Mayu could stay the night? It's late, I can wake her up early to bring her to school tomorrow morning myself," she offered, much to their father's disdain.

"I have custody of Mayu, she only stays with you on your days," he growled.

"It's just one night,"

"And then it'll turn into another night, another week, and soon both kids will want to stay with you! Are you trying to turn my kids against me! You heard her! She already prefers it here!"

And soon a shouting match ensued and Shinn and Mayu scrambled up the stairs, eager to get away.

Past the threshold of Shinn's bedroom, the door was slammed shut, in hopes to block out the demons of the screaming, and the siblings sat with their backs against it, hunched over as bitter nostalgia overtook them. Each had one hand over an ear, and their other hands were viciously locked in a vice-like grip with one another, not wanting to let go.

Shinn felt his stomach flip when their parents' shouting easily breached the door.

**

* * *

**

_Don't leave, don't leave, don't leave, don't leave…_

Lacus felt Kira's fingertips slip from her hand, and she stared at him with a masked gaze and painted smile. The streetlights did little for the early and oppressive darkness of the wintry night, and she could barely see his face. It was probably for the better, he couldn't see hers.

She felt his hands touch her face, gentle brushes of his fingertips, mapping her contours in the darkness, and then his lips were brushing over her nose. Shuddering, she leant towards him, gripping his shirt collar and pulling herself up to kiss him on the lips. The dark haired boy kissed back, his knuckles affectionately stroking her jawline.

"…your step mother, she isn't," Kira began, giving the house a sideways glance.

Lacus shook her head, biting her lip.

"Then…I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked, for assurance.

Her hands clasped around one of his, and she kissed his fingertips.

"Of course, I'll see you," she whispered, almost more to herself than to him.

He smiled, she knew he did, she just knew, and he brushed his hand through her hair once more before she gently pushed his hand away.

"I'll cut my hair if you keep doing that," she threatened, but she was unable to summon enough of a playful tone to her voice.

Kira chuckled and tugged a pale lock teasingly.

"I'd cry,"

"Serves you right,"

"Goodnight…"

"Ah…um, goodnight…"

The boy turned, and Lacus glanced over her shoulder to her front door. Icy panic seized her and she clutched the fabric of her uniform over her chest, feeling her heart pounding in her ears. She looked back to Kira, made to reach out for his arm, her fingers could have made it…

_Please don't leave!_

She wanted to scream, but she didn't. She couldn't, Kira paused and spun back to face her.

Before she could comprehend it, his arms encircled her and his lips were pressed to her ear. Shocked and knees buckling, Lacus loosely embraced him, looking up at the crystal clear, night sky.

"Have sweet dreams," he whispered, pressing the soft flesh of his lips against the skin just beside her ear, and then did he pull away, backing up to where the streetlights shone upon him. A bashful grin spread his lips, color splashed his cheeks, and Lacus realized it.

He waved to her, quickly turning his back to hurry down the long drive. The pale girl meant to reach out to him, but she dropped her hand mid air, allowing it to fall back to her side. Gazing wistfully after him, she closed her eyes, clenching the hem of her skirt.

Really…could she have thought such a thing?

The broken, dirty her?

She stood there, frozen and silent, until she remembered how cold it was. The ice was creeping up her fingers and toes, and she could feel in somewhere deep inside, a place she wasn't sure she could find otherwise. Turning to face the front door, she stared at it, and felt her shoulders tremble. Her hand…just couldn't grasp the door knob.

Perhaps it wasn't the cold that was freezing her, but the anticipation of what…or rather _who_ waited behind that door.

Taking in a deep breath, the girl turned the knob and pressed it open…but she fell against the still closed door. It wasn't opening. It was locked.

Blinking, eyes wide open, she stared.

Meer never locked it…which meant…Meer wasn't home.

Lacus breathed a sigh she was most certain had to be relief, because it couldn't possibly have been anything else, right? And then she dug for her house key from her school bag.

Stepping into the foyer, she marveled at the dark veil placed over every inch, pale light from outside slipping in from high bay windows and cracks between curtains stretching like skeletal fingers. She called out, to see if Meer really was home, but she was only met with echoes. Looking around, feeling almost a little overwhelmed, Lacus slowly brought herself to kneel on the floor in the center of the foyer, and then she was sitting, drawing her knees to her chest.

Arms wrapped loosely around her legs, she looked around, mesmerized by the slight movement in the light. A car passed, the muffled noise was accompanied by a travelling beacon that ran the expanse of the front windows. It passed, and Lacus blinked. Her hands suddenly gripped herself, fingers digging into her stockings.

Her body tensed, and she threw her head back, and screamed.

In horror, in fear, in anger, in frustration, in elation. She really didn't know, but she was screaming, and because there was _no reason_, she wanted to make it louder. She paused for breath, and a twisted smile broke over her lips and she began laughing, and she felt safe.

Alone in the big house with nothing but shadows and memories, she felt at home. Lacus was feeling more at home screaming into the empty crypt of ghosts and screams and tears than she ever had before.

**

* * *

**

Stellar had parted with Cagalli at a crossroads, and rather than going straight home, she'd back tracked to another school. It was a large elementary school, and rather close to her Junior High, so the distance covered walking home was rather useless and moot. But still, she liked to see the old playground outside the school.

She'd met her friends there…Shinn, anyway…But that hadn't been until the end of grammar school. Some of her best memories were scraping her knees and banging her elbows. She'd sprained her ankle on the swings, jumping too high, and she'd lost her first tooth…after getting her face bashed into a bike rack…but that was another story altogether.

She'd walked around the playground for a bit, running her eyes over ever old surface. It was like a living dream, it was…nice.

After awhile, the sun was close to setting, and she still didn't really feel like doing much. She supposed that she should go home, but really…there was nothing there she wanted to see right then. So she stuck it out at the park, sitting herself on an rickety old swing that threatened to give out from under her, but that was alright, too.

Stellar kicked her feet lightly, bringing herself a slow, gentle motion.

The blonde was lost in her thoughts while daydreaming, she didn't notice the basketball until it had rolled over to bump her foot. Blinking, she looked up and was surprised to find she wasn't alone anymore.

Two figures approached, one waving enthusiastically.

"Sting? Auel?" she called, not exactly pleased to see them.

Auel grinned and swooped down to grab the ball, and then spun to lean against a swing set bar.

"Happy to see us, Stella?" he said, a teasing tone making his blue eyes bright.

"I wouldn't exactly call it that," she snipped, eyeing Sting as he approached calmly, hands in his pockets. They were still in their school uniforms, and despite the cold, Auel had neglected to wear his jacket and carried it under his arm with the ball. Sting had his draped over his shoulders.

"Friendly welcome," he nodded, crossing his arms.

A few uncomfortable moments of silence settled between them, and Stellar kicked her feet against the hard, frozen dirt. Sting and Auel were older and a grade ahead of her, though Sting had been held back early on in grammar school and was a year behind his usual age group. They'd all been friends once…but they hadn't been on swell terms for some time. She hated passing them in the halls at school, though they never threw derogatory words at her, it was annoying all the same.

"So…" Auel drawled, licking a chapped lip, much to the apparent chagrin of Sting, "Why're you here?"

Why _they_ happened to be here _now_ was a better question, Stellar felt.

"None of your business, what are _you_ doing here?" she quipped.

Sting smirked and rolled his eyes as Auel chuckled.

"Real bad mood, but since you asked…" he tossed the basketball in the air, "We were in the gym over there, daycare, camp, afterschool help, whatever they need us for," he explained in a rush as he failed to catch the ball with one hand.

"R-Really?" she stammered, wide eyed.

"Those brats have better manners than you," Sting noted, grinning.

Stellar pursed her lips and looked away, finding his amused look annoying. That's all Sting and Auel were, annoying. Constantly playing off each other to drive someone absolutely nuts.

"Aw, Sting, you embarrassed her!" Auel prodded, dropping his ball and jacket carelessly to the ground. Strutting in front of her, he struck a stupid pose and pointed at the green haired teen. "In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

Sting smirked and ran a hand through his short hair and slung a sideways glance to the blue haired boy.

"I'm not playing that game with you, Pretty Soldier," he mocked.

"But I'm adorable!"

"That's a reason?"

"You're not denying it!"

"Were you trying to prove something?"

Watching the absurdity, Stellar knew she was more perplexed than anything, but still…a small smile was creeping in the corners of her mouth.

Auel seemed to notice when he glanced at her over his shoulder, and he grinned widely, showing rows of straight white teeth. Leaning down close to her, he laughed and went to poke her cheek.

"Ha, made you smile!" he began to gloat smugly, but Stellar whacked his hand away, not without the cost of a small twinge of pain in her own hand.

"_Ow_," she mumbled, glaring down at her palm. Auel looked down as well, and even in the weak light he saw the discoloration in her skin.

"Hey, that looks painful," he said, seriousness replacing his silliness from before as he reached out to take her wrists to examine her hands.

"Let me see," Sting demanded, coming closer and taking one of her wrists. He looked just as concerned as his blue haired companion.

The blonde girl pursed her lips and pulled her hands back.

"It was an accident, and they're getting better, don't worry about it," she snapped.

Both boys stared at her for a few moments, and then shared a glance between themselves. The mood seemed to have dampened, and Stellar was getting fed up with the duo's prolonged stay in her presense. Now couldn't have been a better time to head home.

"Have fun, I'm leaving," she spoke up, standing from the swing. She nabbed her school bag and began stalking away, but Auel and Sting ran to catch up with her, a few beats off as Auel had to rush back to grab his ball and jacket.

"Hey, wait up!" Auel called, probably to them both, as Sting muttered he wasn't waiting on his ass.

"Stellar," Sting spoke up, voice low, serious. For some reason, it held some power over her and she paused and turned to look at them.

"You're heading home, right?" Sting asked, and Stellar narrowed her gaze.

"What else?"

Auel and Sting exchanged devious looks, and then Auel stepped a bit closer, grabbing Stellar's shoulders – much to her displeasure- while Sting easily slipped her school bag into his own grip.

"You don't suppose your brother would make us dinner?" Auel asked, rubbing her shoulders encouragingly.

"He's probably already eaten," Stellar sniffed, not liking where this was going.

"No way, he always waits for you," Sting noted, bumping her elbow with his.

Stellar was silent.

"I'm not hearing a 'no' am I, Sting?"

"No, you're not, Auel."

And both boys weaseled past Stellar, Sting with her bag and his, and Auel walking backwards.

"Think he can make lasagna?" he asked, and though Stellar was royally irked, she couldn't help the part of her that wanted to easily give in to this game.

It would be like…old times.

Before Mom and Dad became faceless and loveless postcards.

Before Kira…Yamato…?

Before Cagalli…

Before Shinn.

One night of reminiscing wouldn't kill her, right? She could be Stella for a night, the name Auel and Sting had called her for the longest time when they weren't particularly fond of her current name. Besides, she supposed, Neo had never disliked them. He should be fine with it.

Yes, everything would be, was, fine.

**

* * *

**

Something crashed and shattered, sharp pieces scattered over the floor and clicked across the kitchen tile. Cagalli shrieked in fury and kicked out at her attacker, gripping his arm and maneuvering so that she could sink her teeth into the joint between his thumb and index finger, not letting loose until she could taste blood.

It was probably hers, she'd bit her tongue.

Muruta cried out in pain and tossed her aside, the jerking motion overturned her and she toppled over, hitting her head against the cupboard edge. Her legs curled up against her body, and her hand went to her head, sifting through her hair, finding no blood. She tried to say something, but her words were garbled and her eyes rolled back as she passed out quietly.

The blonde man breathed heavily, staring widely down at the blonde girl's still form. He didn't notice the boy staggering to his feet behind him, and wasn't prepared for the attack from behind.

Kira threw himself in blind rage at the man, wrapping an arm around his throat and yanking backwards while he sputtered, clawing at Kira's face. Neither were paying attention to their surroundings, and Muruta was lucky to slam Kira's back against the kitchen table.

The boy was winded, lost his grip, and fell back onto the surface. Muruta stood, turning to grab him, and Kira's hand flew over the table, searching for anything he could use against the man. His hand slipped in his sister's vomit and he gasped when one of Muruta's hands gripped his throat, the other taking a tight hold of his hair.

"You…" Muruta gasped, glaring down at the boy with senseless fury.

Kira growled and choked out a gasp and twitched beneath the blonde man. In an act of fearing Muruta would cut off his air completely, Kira's hand reached for the man's face, fingers slipping over his skin from the wetness. The man balked, and Kira meant to make a stab for his eyes but he had back away and released him long enough for Kira to roll away.

He looked to Cagalli rapidly, his heart beating fast, and he tripped running to her. He kicked out at Muruta's legs, the man fell off balance and collapsed to the floor. Kira stared at him all of a second before dragging himself to his little sister's body. He rolled her onto her side, and held his face close to her head. She was still breathing.

Glancing over his shoulder, Kira glared with a feral hatred towards their guardian and stood up. Stalking over to Muruta, he came down upon the man, his hands clenched into fists. The blonde man had few seconds to brace himself, but kicking out Kira's balance from his ankles caused the boy to lose his own balance and the man shoved him away.

The two scrambled to get to their feet first, and Muruta won. He reached out to grab Kira by his hair and slammed his head down on the kitchen table. Kira saw stars. His body was stunned, and he groaned in fury, unable to move himself properly for a few moments. He was only able to bring one hand on top of the table as he tried to balance himself. A few moments was all Muruta needed.

Grabbing a plate from the dinner table, the remains of food slipped away to splatter on the table, and he grinned maniacally before slamming the porcelain down on the boy's hand.

Kira's entire body jerked violently and he screamed.

Muruta, dragging him by his hair, tossed Kira backwards from the table, dropping the plate, which hit the edge of the table and fell to the floor, cracking in half.

With wide violet eyes, Kira stared up at the man, clutching his hand tightly to his chest. He was scared. It didn't matter, nothing mattered, he couldn't think anymore, his ears were _RINGING_, and his hand _HURT_.

Unable to understand or piece together his thoughts, Kira pushed himself backwards along the kitchen tile, eyes fluttering all about the room, seeing everything, seeing nothing. Seeing a dark gleam on Muruta's face, the dark haired boy froze for a moment when his back hit the door frame.

Without waiting another second, he leapt to his feet and threw himself into the other room. He stumbled and staggered, his blood was boiling and racing in his veins, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't _fucking_ see.

But then he saw the outlines of the foyer, and there was a door there…double doors. Doors…they led outside, that was good. Outside was good, safe. He had to get to the door…NOW.

He leapt for it, and tripped over his feet, landing face first in the carpet. Crying out in frustration and panic, he scrambled to get up, and a sudden sharp pain in his leg spurred him forward. Muruta had…kicked him? He didn't know, he just wanted _OUT_.

His fingers slipped on the doorknob, and he yanked it open, just as Muruta caught up to him, and slammed him against the closed door just beside the open one. Pressing his face against the wood roughly, Kirra growled, and his hand began reaching for the edge of the door, maybe he could still get this one open, even if it was a ridiculous thought.

Muruta saw the hand, and smirked. As though time had been slowed, he released Kira somewhat, and reached for the open door. Before the boy could move at all, Muruta was slamming the door shut, and wrapping his arm around Kira's neck, the sleeve of his shirt in the boy's face as his mouth opened to release an agonized scream.

But what came forth was a garbled choking noise, a hiss, with just the barest hints of a voice behind the sickening sound.

Hot tears streamed down Kira's cheeks as his body became paralyzed. He didn't even register when Muruta pulled back the door and dragged him back away from it. The man ripped the boy's shirt sleeve, revealing the wiry arm beneath. Rummaging in his shirt pocket, he pulled a small tube from it, and gazed at it critically before pulling off a cap with his teeth.

A small needle was inside, attached to it a small glass barrel of a clear liquid. Muruta carefully brought it to Kira's elbow, prodding the skin roughing, searching for a vein. Stabbing the needle into the boy's skin, Muruta twisted the small glass barrel, and the liquid began to drain through the needle.

Kira had begun to stir when the needle tip was pressed against his skin, but he'd practically gasped silently and gave up as the drug slipped in and numbed his senses almost immediately.

All…over…again…

Muruta stood over the boy's unconscious body, holding the small needle between his fingertips, a grin on his lips.

"It works faster than before, doesn't it?" he said quietly, toeing the boy's leg, getting no response at all. He looked back towards the kitchen, and sighed. He had to get the needle put away…and he headed back to the kitchen to find a steak knife from the knife block. Tearing into his shirt absently, twisting it to make a large, jagged tear, the man inspected his handiwork for a moment.

He then took a deep breath and began running the serrated edge against his skin and the edge of his clothes.

There wasn't exactly much time, he had to create a home invasion before a troublesome neighbor decided to pick into his business and call the police before he had the chance to do so himself.

_And I know that we're gonna be fine  
__As long as we live, time passes by  
__And we won't get it back when we die  
__When We Die – Bowling for Soup_

* * *

I am so fucking easily distracted FFFFFFFUUUUUUU-

_**Uuuuuubooooooaaaaaaa!**_

_(Cookies for whoever gets the reference...vague as it may be)_

Thanks for reading, pretty please review if you can or have the time~

**Sam**


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